Sacrifice of Brothers
by Myra109
Summary: Sirius finds a time turner and uses it, desperate to save everyone, yet he over shoots it. He winds up in the time just before his first year. Can he save everyone, including James and Reggie? His brothers. Language
1. Saving the Forgotten

_hello, this is basically a Sirius time travel story with a bit of a twist. Hope you enjoy. Read and review!_

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing, zip, zero, nada, etc.**

* * *

Srius Black was not one ro think so hard. He stared at the ceiling of his room in Grimmauld Place, which he had inherited after his mother passed and was finally using. Not of his own choice, but if he was going to survive and not get locked back in Azkaban, then he needed to hide in a place where no one would think to look for rebellious and wanted man Sirius Black.

He was currently thinking of a little boy with black hair that desperately needed a haircut and sparkling gray eyes. His little brother, Regulus.

Before Regulus died (more accurately vanished, seeing as his body was never found), he'd sent Sirius a note and a small package. The Gryffindor refused to open it; he feared his Death Eater brother had finally decided to take him out by rigging either to explode.

When 1994 rolled around and he was hiding out at Grimmauld Place, he'd discovered it in his old room. He wondered how it had gotten from his old house to his childhood home, but put it down to Kreacher. That house elf would do anything to honor his master, even if it was just retrieving his final gift to his brother.

When Sirius had cautiously opened it, he found something odd. No explosives, no tricks, no spells or booby traps. Just a simple letter, written in handwriting too sloppy to belong to his formal brother.

'Dear Siri,

I don't have much time, but I need to say something to you before I go. I've made a lot of mistakes in my short life. I chose to follow our parents instead of you; I chose to become a DE; I didn't let you help me or give me advise I desperately needed. I hope my last choice will make you proud, for it is the first right decision I've ever made.

I have found a way to bring down Voldemort once and for all. Inside the package are three things: two books and a time turner. I know you won't open this letter until it is too late, but if you can't find any other way, you can use the time turner to go back and defeat Voldemort before the war spirals out of control. It is a very special time turner that will make your mission much more effective.

Save as many people as you can, Siri, and don't pass off this letter as a pathetic plea for forgiveness. I am simply giving both of us and the Wizarding World a second chance. Please take it, Siri. I love you, brother.

-Reggie'

That was an hour ago and Sirius hadn't moved from his bed, staring at the golden necklace in his hands. It glinted, tempting him to use it, in the sunlight that streamed through the window.

Of course, he wanted to. He could save Reggie and James and Lily and the Longbottoms. He could even save Peter if he tried hard enough by being there for him and making him feel like his friends truly cared about him. In the end, it would be up to Wormtail, to the shy Gryffindor, to Peter Pettigrew, to discover his courage and fight alongside his friends, but Sirius could help him get there.

But, then again, what about this time line? What about Remus and Harry? He'd even miss Hermione and Ron, Harry's little friends that tried to kill him when they met him.

Yet, he would meet Harry someday. James and Lily would get together; he was not changing that and losing his godson. And when Harry went to Hogwarts, he would meet Hermione and Ron, Sirius would make sure of it. If he did this, he could give Harry a good life and maybe some siblings. The Boy Who Lived would not have the weight of the Wizarding World on his shoulders. He wouldn't live with those bastards he called relatives. Harry James Potter could be truly happy.

Sirius made up his mind. He stuck the books in the enlarged pockets of his coat and slowly, spun the hourglass.

Unfortunately, Sirius didn't know how a time turner worked. He did the logical thing and spun it fifteen times, one for each year that had passed since 1979. Nothing happened. The Animagus spun it another few times and it started to whirl in circles on its own. The world tilted on its axis and that's when everything went to Hades.

The room was spinning around him. The first several spins showed the same room, although he was sure it got less dusty with each time around. Then, he saw a fifteen year old him tossing things into a suitcase angrily while Reggie stood in the doorway, tears in his eyes. Next was a fourteen year old him talking into the Two Way Mirror and laughing with James. Fourth was a thirteen year old him throwing a ball at the ceiling in boredom. Fourth was a second year him with a nine year old Reggie, playing a game of chess on the floor. And finally was a first year him, lying in his bed, fast asleep.

The world went black.

* * *

When Sirius awoke, the first thing he noticed was that someone really needed to turn off the sun. Blinking to clear the dots from his eyes and to try and ease the headache, he sat up slowly and gasped.

Everything was different about his room. Instead of having red and gold sheets that he had bought with his own cash to challenge his parents, he was under a black comforter with green snakes intertwined to form a B. His walls no longer bore posters of Muggle women or Muggle machines, such as automobiles and motorbikes, but were instead barren. On his dresser across the room, a line of family photos were set up neatly and there were no photographs of his friends. The curtains were open and the morning sun shined in upon his face.

"What on earth?" He mumbled.

Swinging his legs off of the bed, he attempted to stand and promptly crashed to the floor. He should have been thinking why his floor wasn't so dusty after being unoccupied for nearly two decades, but instead, his first thought was, 'Why the hell does Grimmauld Place have such a bloody hard floor?!'

Stumbling to his feet, he approached the mirror and gaped.

The person he saw in the mirror was him alright, but not. His hair was still messy, long, and unruly, but it was no longer dry and unclean or felt like sandpaper when he ran his hands through it. It reached the bottom of his neck in the back and fell into his sparkling gray eyes, no longer dull or haunted, in the front. He wore a green button up shirt and a pair of matching silk pants that made him hot and itchy. While still pale, his skin was no longer translucent and he was much shorter than he had been a moment ago.

Something caught his eye: a calender hanging on the wall that had gone previously unnoticed. At the top, the month and year read, "September, 1971." No days had been marked off that month and since Sirius had drawn x's as the days ended up until he became an Auror, that made today September first. His very first day of Hogwarts ever.

A sharp knock startled him.

"Siri, Mother says get up!" The high pitched voice of a young child called through the wood. "It's seven and we gotta be there by nine, so get ready."

He swallowed the lump in his throat. "O-Okay, Reggie. I'll be downstairs soon."

"Okay!" Light footsteps pattered away.

Oh, Merlin, his little brother was alive. He wasn't dead or bitter. He was an innocent eight year old that loved Sirius more than anything in the universe.

After a quick shower, Sirius dressed in his robes and opened his trunk for one last check of his supplies.

He had everything and even two things extra that made him sigh in relief. The books he'd taken back with him were right on top of the other neatly stacked books. Contrary to popular belief, Sirius was a very organized person with his books neatly stacked and his robes folded precisely. Just one last thing that he needed to pack.

Digging through the box under his bed, he pulled out a small pocket book and placed it on top of his robes with a small grin. He wasn't forgetting about Reggie this time.

Finally, he stood and dragged his trunk down the stairs. When he got to Hogwarts, he'd have to magic some wheels onto the darn thing!

Already sweating slightly from lugging his luggage down the steps, he stopped to catch his breath next to a giggling Reggie.

"I need to start working out," Sirius gasped.

"Yes, yes, you do," Reggie smirked, jokingly. Sirius lightly punched his little brother's shoulder.

"Ready, kids?" Orion said as he walked in. For a moment, Sirius was shocked at his father's behavior before remembering that his parents, while strict, had both been kind to him before he was sorted into Gryffindor. Although it was a long shot, he might even be able to convince his parents that Muggle and Muggleborns weren't all that bad. Sure, it was pry impossible, but hey, a guy can dream.

Regulus and Sirius both nodded, enthusiastically, and they stepped into the Floo, Orion taking Sirius's trunk. When they stepped out, the Platform wasn't crowded or bustling with activity yet as it was only ten to nine.

"Well, Sirius, your mother and I best be getting onto work," Orion told him, wistfully. "We'll see you for the Christmas holidays."

His father patted him on the back and his mother kissed him on the cheek. Reggie, all courtesy and pride forgotten, dove into his brother's arms, nearly knocking him on his behind.

"I'll miss you," Reggie whispered, voice rough with tears.

"I love you, Reggie. I'll make sure to write you at least once a week."

"Promise you won't forget me?"

"How could I forget my favorite little brother?" Sirius laughed. How indeed? he wondered.

"I'm your only little brother!"

"Therefore, you're my favorite."

They said their final goodbyes and his parents and sibling Flooed away, leaving Sirius alone. As it was still early, he found a compartment, completely empty he might add and sat alone until there was a knock at exactly ten thirty three AM.

"Can I sit here?" Someone asked, a very familiar voice, but one he couldn't place.

Sirius nodded and looked up from his Quidditch magazine in time to almost jump out of his seat.

Standing in front of him was a very much alive James Potter.

* * *

 _I have a few polls for you guys._

 _1\. Should I have Sirius change his parents views or leave them as they were originally in the books?_

 _2\. Should I keep Regulus in Slytherin or should I have him sorted elsewhere? If so, which house?_

 _3\. Should I have Sirius change Wormtail?_

 _thanks for voting and reading!_

 _Also, at the end of each chapter, just will be doing a trivia question. The first one to answer correctly gets a character of their choice in the story, as long as they fit in with the plot. (Frank Longbottom, Severus Snape, etc.)_

 ** _What year did Regulus Black die?_**


	2. Why can't we be Friends?

_A reviewer pointed out to me that I did make Regulus's age wrong, and I went back and realized that I did. Just know that Regulus is actually ten at this point and I am making his birthday in June since JK Rowling never gave him a specific birthdate. Therefore, he will go into Hogwarts when Sirius starts his second year, not his third. Thanks for pointing that out._

 _Some characters may seem OOC in this chapter, but JK really only showed us the characters after something changed them (bullying, for example), so this is how they will best fit into my story if they start out this way._

 _I will be changing Wormtail and he is OOC in this chapter because I always wondered how he got into a Gryffindor, so I think he was originally brave but something changed him and he became much more fearful and timid._

 _On with the story!_

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nothing_**

* * *

 **Sirius Meets Two Dead People, Two No-Longer-Death-Eaters, and a Werewolf**

Sirius nodded again, still in shock over the fact that his dead best friend (who's death may or may not be his fault) was standing right in front of him.

"Thanks, mate!" James said, cheerfully, as he lugged his trunk into the compartment and heaved it up on the trunk rack next to Sirius's before collapsing into the seat across from him. "I'm James Potter, and you are?"

Sirius, finally coming out of his shock, smirked before a full blown grin appeared on his face. "Sirius Black, prankster and troublemaker extraordinaire."

James laughed. "Nice title, Sirius Black, prankster and troublemaker extraordinaire. Just so you know, I am quite good with pranks too."

"Oh, really?" Sirius chuckled. "Give me an example."

"Well, once when I was younger, I switched the whipped cream for shaving cream on Christmas! Everyone wanted my blood by the time they left!" James said, laughing hysterically.

Rolling his eyes playfully, Sirius said in a mock hauty voice. "Oh my gosh, that is so cliché! When I was younger, I stole my aunt's wand and turned our dining room table into a pig... on my mother's birthday!"

James's laughter grew. "Sirius Black, I gotta feeling we're gonna be good friends."

Sirius smiled, somewhat sadly. His James had said the exact same thing to him the first time around.

"Yeah, James, me too."

* * *

It wasn't long before Remus joined them.

James and Sirius were discussing possible pranks for this year when the compartment door slid open to reveal a boy with light brown hair and glittering green eyes. He was on the scrawny side, but no overly so, and his robes were a little tattered but he didn't appear ugly in the slightest. The scars kind of ruined the picture.

James gaped; obviously he'd never seen someone with so many scars before, but Sirius just smiled.

"Hello," Sirius greeted. "Want to join us? I'm Sirius Black, and you are?"

"Remus Lupin," the boy replied as he nodded and sat down beside James, who he turned to. "And you?"

James seemed to realize how rude he was being and shut his mouth with an audible snap, the shock beginning to disappear from his hazel eyes. "James Potter. Pleasure to meet you, Remus."

"You, as well." Remus turned back to Sirius. "Did you say your name was Sirius? I've never heard that name before."

Sirius groaned. "Trust me, if I could change my name, I would. Everyone in my family is named after something in the solar system. My dad's named Orion; my mother's Walburga; I have a brother named Regulus. And I'm named after Sirius, the dog star, but hey, with a name like mine, you can come up with plenty of puns I can use to annoy people."

"He's gotta point," James laughed and Remus shrugged like 'Why not?'

"Aww, is the little coward crying?" A voice said in a baby voice from outside the compartment door.

"L-Leave me alone! I didn't do anything to you," a small voice snapped. Sirius sat bolt up right; he recognized that voice.

"You existing is enough to make me want to lose my breakfast," Lucius Malfoy drawled.

Sirius stood up abruptly, and James stared at him in confusion but Remus's gaze held some understanding and one of those looks that read, 'Don't get involved.'

But Sirius didn't care. Bullying and feeling left out had been what led to his betrayal, and he wasn't about to allow that to happen again when he could prevent it.

He slid open the compartment door and met the fearful gaze of Peter Pettigrew, who stood across from seventh year Lucius Malfoy and fifth year Evan Rosier.

Peter looked different than he remembered, but then again, first year had been a long time ago. Peter's hair was a darker shade of blonde (Sirius vaguely remembered Peter getting hexed by a Snake and his hair turning almost white permanently) and his eyes weren't as watery as they used to be. He held himself with a more confident stance and his eyes were defiant, but he couldn't hide the fear in his blue eyes. While still possessing some baby fat, he was not nearly as plump as he had been and Sirius remembered that Peter had started to eat his feelings in their third year when the bullying got really bad.

He wondered what was going on; this hadn't happened the first time, but then, it hit him. It probably had, but first time around, he hadn't had the hearing of a dog and Remus wasn't as brave as he was by the time they graduated, so he probably hadn't wanted to get involved when he heard it.

The first step down the path to becoming who he became.

"Hey," Sirius snapped as he stepped out, "get away from him. He didn't do nothing to you."

Lucius turned to him with a smirk. "Why if it isn't the black sheep- or should I say white sheep?"

Evan sneered. "The little bloodtraiter sticking up for half bloods? Should've known."

"I'm not sticking up for half bloods" Sirius growled. "I wouldn't care if he was a half blood, pure blood, or a muggleborn. I'm sticking up for an innocent kid that you two are bullying."

Evan rolled his eyes. "Just back off, Black, and let us have our fun."

"No," Sirius snarled, "because someone has to stick up for him and all the other kids you bully, so. Back. Off."

Sirius gave them his 'grim reaper' stare as Remus called it: a harsh glare that would make Voldemort himself whimper with smoldering eyes and and snarl on his lips.

He felt slight satisfaction when Lucius's eyes widened and he took a step back while Evan actually whimpered.

"This isn't over, Black," Lucius growled and dragged a petrified Evan away.

Sirius smiled and turned to face Peter, sticking out his hand for the blonde boy to take. "I'm Sirius, Sirius Black. And you are?"

"Peter, Peter Pettigrew," the boy mumbled, looking rather shocked that Sirius had stood up for him.

"Well, Peter, would you like to sit with us?" Remus asked and James nodded in agreement.

"Yeah," the hazel eyed boy said. "Don't worry, we're not like the princess or that other jerk. Speaking of them, how'd you know how to scare them?" He turned to Sirius.

"That was Lucius Malfoy and Evan Rosier," Sirius informed him. "Their families are friends of my family, so they're around all the time. I've picked up a few tricks."

"Well, superman," Remus stated sarcastically, "try not to get yourself in too much trouble over the years. "

Sirius smiled cheekily. "No promises, Moo- Remy."

He'd almost called him Moony! Damn it, that would've raised some eyebrows.

Apparently, the near slip did just that because while James and Peter had not noticed it, Remus did and his eyebrows nearly went up in his hairline. He probably knew he was about to say something about the moon.

"Anyway, let's get in the compartment before the train starts moving!" Sirius said before Remus could call him out on his slip up.

The group nodded, Remus deciding to let it go, and they sat down in the compartment. No sooner had they seated themselves did the compartment door slide open and in walked... oh gosh.

If Sirius thought seeing James was hard, seeing Lily Evans was harder. She had, after all, died to save his godson and he'd actually heard her dying screech from outside of the house as he ran towards it when Voldemort killed her. Seeing her again was... difficult.

She was obviously eleven with her red hair falling over her shoulders in long curls and her green eyes stared at him in wonder and maybe even admiration. She wore a Muggle dress the color of the sun with a green belt around her waist and flats to match the dress.

Beside her was Severus Snape, but he wasn't how Sirius remembered him. His hair was still pitch black and greasy, but he now knew that it was because his parents couldn't afford to buy shampoo or conditioner (he may have read through Reggie's journal in the future, and since Regulus was friends with Snape, he knew things about him no one else did).

"Hello, we saw what you did back there with those kids," Lily said. "Thanks for that. He called me a... what did he call me, Sev?"

"A mudblood," Severus growled, obviously angry at Lucius for insulting his best friend.

"Yeah, when I got on the train. Thanks for putting him in his place," Lily said.

"Well, do you wanna sit with us?" James said, his eyes wide in amazement as he stared at Lily. Aww, young love.

Lily shrugged. "Sure. Sev?"

"Why not?" The black haired boy agreed and they sat down, Severus next to Peter and Lily beside Remus.

"I'm Lily Evans," the redhead introduced. "And this is Severus Snape."

"Pleasure to meet you," Severus said.

"You guys, too," Sirius grinned.

James turned to look at him and mouthed _'especially her'_ while nodding in Lily's direction. Sirius silently laughed.

Not even one day in the past and he'd already started changing things for the better.

But his journey was not over yet.

* * *

 _okay, a few notes. I don't want to have much romance drama in this story, since I want to focus on the relationship between Sirius and Regulus, so Severus is just going to be like a brother to Lily and he won't have a crush on her._

 _Another voting: what house should Severus be sorted into? (I have nothing against Slytherin, but I'm really not sure if certain people fit into certain houses, so that's why I'm asking for second opinions)_

 _I will be leaving the rest of the voting open until I decide to put them into the story._

 _Regulus's house: all Slytherin votes and one Ravenclaw vote_

 _Changing his parents views: at least try to change both of his parents views- 3 votes_

 _Change Orion's, but not Walburga's- 2 votes_

 _Thank you! Until next time._

 _Trivia:_

 ** _What does Regulus's name mean?_**


	3. Sorting and Cissy

_Nine week assessment week is over at my school! I have taken all my nine week exams and am starting to post more often. This chapter is a little boring, but don't worry, Sirius will start facing some challenges soon that will add a little excitement to the story._

 ** _Trivia:_**

 _abishop47- I can do Amelia Bones, but I've never written her and haven't read any stories with her in them, so I may not write her the way she's commonly written. Don't worry, though, she will pop up!_

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nothing._**

* * *

Sirius, not really nervous but definitely excited, stood in line at the front of the Great Hall, and sneaking glances at his sixth year cousin, Narcissa.

He remembered that first time around, he'd been so anxious about disappointing his family that he'd nearly vomited when he saw the heated gaze Cissy had given him. Now, that really didn't matter.

"Alick, Carter!" McGonagall called and a nervous boy approached the hat, who declared him a Ravenclaw.

"Atkins, Clara!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

The names continued and soon enough, Sirius was called.

"Black, Sirius!"

Murmurs broke out. Kids were whispering: The Slytherins excited; Ravenclaws rolling their eyes at the other houses' immaturity; Hufflepuff smiling in welcome; and Gryffindors glaring up at the young boy. Even the professors were muttering amongst themselves: many glaring while Slughorn grinned at who he believed would be his newest pupil. McGonagall gave him a particularly frigid stare, but Sirius just smiled at her and hopped onto the stool, not nervous at all.

The hat fell over his eyes and his sorting began.

' _Ah, a time traveler_ ,' the voice whispered, but Sirius didn't jump as he did last time. What really scared him was what the sorting hat had just said.

' _Don't worry; I will keep your secret, but eventually, you will have to tell someone. Until that happens, I will keep my flap shut._

 _'Now, on with your sorting. You are quite intelligent and definitely clever, but you do not have a thirst for knowledge, so that rules Ravenclaw out._

 _'Hufflepuff... you are kind and loyal, but are not so kind in getting what you want. Your loyalty typically involves a curse and a lecture whereas Hufflepuffs like to work behind the scenes, so no Hufflepuff for you._

 _'Slytherin... going back to the clever thing, you could definitely fit there, at least with your ambition. Yet, you want friendship, family, and to be different; you will not get that in Slytherin, which means it's gotta be..._ GRYFFINDOR!'

The Hall was so silent you could hear a pin drop. Even McGonagall was in too much shock to do anything.

Sirius, however, leapt off the stool with an almost insane grin on his face and practically skipped over to the red and gold table. Sure, he had nothing against the other houses, but Gryffindor would always be his house, his home next to that of the Potters and no matter the time line, that would never change.

Sirius tuned out most of it until Lily hopped up there about a dozen students after him.

The redhead lowered herself onto the stool, her hands trembling barely noticeably, and the hat tumbled over her head, shielding her emerald eyes.

She was on the stool for a good minute and a half before she joined Sirius in the house of the brave.

Remus was a little ways down the line, and when he got up there, the hat dawned his head for at least five minutes before he joined Lily and Sirius. The time traveler wasn't surprised; he remembered Remus informing him that the hat had been trying to decide between Ravenclaw and Gryffindor before choosing the latter.

There were a lot of M's and Peter didn't get up there for a good six, seven minutes, which Sirius used as a time to space out and relax.

Peter was seated on that stool for three minutes tops before the hat opened its brim and shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!"

James was right after Peter and he sat on that stool for longer than he had the first time around. At first, Sirius was confused as to why before realizing that James may not be as limited after meeting Sirius, who had kind of broken the status quo (being the first Black in Gryffindor and all). Maybe he was finally starting to get the fact that not every kid from a dark family or every Slytherin were bad people through his head.

Finally, the hat opened his mouth/brim and yelled, "GRYFFINDOR!"

James hopped off and ran over to the Gryffindor table, nearly killing Sirius and Lily when he hopped onto the bench.

"Wooh!" James shouted.

"Mr. Potter, inappropriate," McGonagall admonished, and unless you knew her as well as Sirius did, she might seem really upset. And yet, the young Black saw her lips twitch upward at James's behavior.

Several minutes passed and Sirius was ready to pass out in his seat from exhaustion (he hadn't realized how tired he was!) when the name he'd been waiting for was called.

"Snape, Severus!" McGonagall called and Severus wearily approached the hat, seating himself upon the worn stool.

The hat was on his head for about thirty seconds- which was thirty seconds longer than first time around- when finally, it called, "SLYTHERIN!"

Sirius deflated. He'd kind of been hoping for Severus to be in Gryffindor because it'd be easier to keep him away from all the peer pressure going on in Slytherin. Sirius had worked out a theory that once upon a time, the snakes hadn't been bad until one bad apple influenced them and the vicious chain began. He also didn't want Severus to be alone in Slytherin because loneliness was a big influence on people like Peter, Reg, and Snape in the original time line; he'd have to work out a plan for that later.

After the last child (Zeel, Daisy!) was declared a Ravenclaw, Dumbledore stood and faced the hall.

"Students, new and old, welcome to Hogwarts! Before the feast may begin, we shall be going over a few rules."

Cue groans.

Dumbledore grinned. "I know, but please stay with me! The Forbidden Forest is strictly off limits to any student, for dangerous creatures lurk in there. Items such as Dungbombs, Frizzling Frisbees, and Wizzing Poppets are not allowed at Hogwarts; the list of 101 forbidden items may be seen outside of Filch's quarters.

"Now, we are all hungry, so I will not keep you any longer! Tweedle! Fizzle! Pop!"

With that last strange message, the feast appeared and the students immediately dug in, anxious to fill their empty bellies.

"So, guys," James said, his mouth full of fried chicken, "what should our first prank be?"

"James!" Lily snapped, scandalized. "First of all, don't talk with your mouth full. Second of all, pranks are horrible."

"Don't worry, Lily, they'll be fun pranks. We'll try not to make them too humiliating and we definitely won't make them outright mean," Sirius assured her. "And I think we should decide tomorrow after we get our time's tables because trust me, there are some amazing pranks we can only in some of those classes."

Remus rolled his eyes. "You guys are so immature!"

"Come on, Remus, you know you want to," Sirius laughed.

Remus rolled his eyes once more.

"You know, if you keep rolling your eyes like that, they're gonna get stuck that way," Sirius said with a slight smile on his lips.

"Shut up, Black," Remus chuckled.

"Sirius... Orion... Black," a voice breathed next to his ear.

Sirius looked at Remus and Peter seated across from him. "I'm scared to turn around," he announced before doing just that.

"Hello, Cissy," he said with a false smile. "What's up?"

"What's up?" Narcissa blinked in disbelief. "What's up is that you are going against the family."

Sirius's eyes widened in innocence. "Since when? I'm not going against anybody; I'm just being me, and if that isn't enough for you, I suggest you walk away right now."

She glared harder. "Are you trying to tear the family apart?"

"Now why would I want that?" Sirius asked. "Most of our family may be crazy or prejudiced, but I hold onto hope that people can change."

Narcissa's eyes were literally smoldering with rage. "What if we don't want to change? "

"Then, that's your fault, not mine, " Sirius answered.

Narcissa, not really knowing how to answer to her cousin's pearl of wisdom, spun on her heel and stormed off to the Slytherin table.

Sirius turned back around in his chair and saw his friends staring at him.

Before anyone could say a word, Sirius picked up his fork and shoveled some food into his mouth.

"I'm starving," he said with his mouth full. "What 'bout you guys?"

Sensing he didn't want to talk about, the others continued to eat, making Sirius immensely grateful.

* * *

 _before I depart, I need to explain a few things._

 _1\. I know Sirius didn't really have a part in his sorting, but since he's not as prejudiced against the other houses anymore, I think he'd just let go and allow the sorting hat to sort him._

 _2\. Also, I think Sirius wouldn't want to talk about his family life, regardless of the time line because while I will try to change some family members', I can't change them all because of how unrealistic that is. So yes, there will be some family drama later on, and Sirius won't discuss that with his friends, at least not until later on because it just seems like something Sirius would do._

 ** _Trivia:_**

 ** _What creature was guarding the trap door in The Sorcerer's Stone?_**


	4. Sirius Black's Life Sucks!

_Sorry for the delay, but I'm having a bit of writers block. Feel free to suggest an idea for the story because since the war hasn't really started yet, I'm struggling to come up with challenges for Sirius this early on._

 _abishop47- I'm not sure when Amelia will pop up, but hopefully within the next few chapters. Keep an eye out._

 _I.C.2014 was the winner of the trivia question last chapter! Bellatrix will definitely be showing up. She won't have a huge role in the beginning of this story, but when Sirius goes home for Christmas, that's when she really starts to become important._

 _ALSO, if you like Sirius Black time traveling fanfictions, you should check out **Twisting Time by the-writer1988** and ** Foreshadowing Demise by ShadowMistress13.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**_

* * *

Sirius Black knew that he would not make it through his first year without something bad occurring, but he hadn't expected something to happen on his second day!

Believe it or not, Sirius was an early riser. Or at least he is now. First time around, he could've slept through a hurricane, but after being in Azkaban and on the run for so long, Sirius had taught himself to sleep lightly. Therfore, he was usually wide awake by six AM, if not earlier, every morning.

Sirius stood and stretched. His dorm mates (Remus, James, Peter, Frank Longbottom, and Ben Kingsley) were all still snoring in their beds, and Sirius, who had not even been awake five minutes, was bored.

The black haired boy got ready and looked at his watch. 6:45. He still had at least forty-five minutes until those guys woke up, so he decided to take a walk.

He hadn't actually seen Hogwarts in so long. While on the run, he'd raced through the halls, finding old hiding spaces that he had almost forgotten from his school days, but that was for survival. When was the last time he'd simply taken a relaxed stroll through Hogwarts- no pranks, no danger, just serenity, a way to clear his head? Probably not since his seventh year first time around. And to think, he took little things like this for granted.

"Hello, Black," a voice drawled from behind him.

Damn it! He knew it wouldn't last.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" He scowled, turning to face the blonde. He was only mildly shocked to see half of Slytherin standing behind him, cracking their knuckles and punching their palms. Why do people do that? They think it makes them look tough, but it really only makes them look stupid... well, stupider than they already were.

"I heard about what you said to Narcissa last night," Lucius sneered.

"About our family. That is a private matter, Lucius, so do me a favor and butt your hippy haired head out," Sirius growled.

"Ooh," he could have sworn he heard a Snake say before who ever it was was shushed by the others.

"You think I have the hippy hair?" Lucius snarled. "Says the guy that hasn't gotten a haircut in years."

Sirius opened his mouth in mock surprise. "Are you mixing us up, Lucius? I've actually had a haircut very recently. You, on the the other hand- I don't think you've ever cut your hair."

Lucius rolled his eyes. "Who cut your hair? Your little brother?"

The Slytherins laughed.

Sirius smirked. "For your information, he did. And I think he did a pretty good job, if I do say so myself."

The Slytherins stopped chuckling. I don't think any of them knew how to respond to that.

"Well, no wonder your hair looks like a monkey took a blunt kitchen knife to it," one Snake sneered.

"Anyway," Lucius interrupted, "Cissy told me you are going against your family."

"And I'll tell you what I told her," Sirius responded. "I'm not going against anyone. I'm just being myself, and if that's not enough for you, then, I suggest you leave right now."

Lucius rolled his eyes once more. "I didn't know you were so philosophical, Black."

Sirius shrugged. "It's a gift, one might say."

"Are you hell bent on tearing your family apart... more than it already is, of course?" Lucius growled.

Sirius shrugged. "I'm not tearing my family apart. They may be crazy and prejudiced, but people can change. I've witnessed that first hand," he said, thinking of Peter, Reg, and even Severus.

Lucius rolled his eyes.

"You know if you keep rolling your eyes, they're gonna get stuck like that," Sirius pointed out.

Lucius simply glared. "But you know, Black, this may just tear your family apart. After all, Narcissa's told me about how much your parents fight and that they're considering a divorce. Luckily, your parents have two kids; they each get one," he snarled with a wicked grin.

Anger erupted in Sirius. The worst part was that Lucius was right; his parents had been fighting for months. They'd come to an agreement that if possible, they'd get a divorce and Walburga would get Regulus and Orion, Sirius.

That worried Sirius to no end. He remembered that his father hadn't been too bad; he'd actually been a decent man, if a little neglectful. But when his mother got involved, that's when things got ugly and even he if he tried to change their views on blood, the thought of Regulus living with her would always give him panic attacks.

"Shut up, Malfoy!" Sirius shouted and he was sure they could hear him in the Great Hall.

"Oh, strike a nerve, did I?" Lucius mocked. "Wonder how long it'll take your family to kick you out. All their problems would be better without you causing them."

"I don't cause them. I'm one of the things that they rarely argue about," Sirius snapped.

"Well, how many arguments do you think your sorting will cause?" Lucius said. "I bet your sorting will cause your parents to split and Regulus will wind up living with that bitch of a mother. Watch your back, Black."

Lucius stormed away with his entourage, leaving Sirius alone in an empty corridor.

Sirius tried to convince himself that that wasn't true, but it was hard not to blame himself when all his parents fought about was him after his first year. It was a never ending argument between his mother and father, where he was his own army and Reg was stuck in the middle.

He began the walk to the Great Hall, knowing that by now (7:15), his mates were awake and would be heading to the Great Hall within fifteen minutes.

Was Lucius right? The thought continued to run through his head all the way to the Great Hall.

He found Lily seated at the end of the table and sat across from her.

"Morning, Lily!" He exclaimed, trying to pretend that the incident with Malfoy had not occurred.

She looked up surprised. "You're up early. When I left, you're roommates were just waking up. I could hear their alarm in the common room."

"Sounds like them. My mom makes my brother and I get up at the crack of dawn for no good reason," Sirius laughed. "She told us, ' _dignified people get up early, Sirius. Get your lazy BEEP out of bed now!_ '" He laughed, doing a good impression of his mother.

Lily giggled. "You have a brother?" She asked, curiously.

"Yeah, speaking of him, could you remind me to write him after breakfast? I promised I'd write him as soon as I got here and I was too tired to do it last night," Sirius told her as he loaded up his plate with breakfast.

"Of course."

"Hello, early birds!" James cheered as he leaped into a seat beside Sirius. "Who in their right mind gets up this early?"

"Sirius and Lily, apparently," Peter chuckled as he sat beside the redhead.

Remus took a seat on Sirius's other side, silently, looking horribly sick.

Sirius immediately knew what was wrong, and he tapped Remus on the shoulder, getting the werewolf's attention. He forced a vial of Wolf's Bane into Remus's hand.

"It'll help with your furry little problem," he whispered, and watched as Remus's eyes widened, comically. "Don't worry, I won't tell. You'll still transform, but you'll keep your human mind. Drink the entire vial an hour before sundown, and I'll make you another one next month."

"But how do you kn-"

"I'll explain later, but right now, there's too many people."

Remus nodded and the pair tuned back into the ongoing debate between the other three.

Now, what was he going to tell Remus?

* * *

 _well, that was a fun chapter to write._

 _1\. About Sirius blaming himself for his parents' fights, I know that's a little OOC, but I know from experience that it's hard not to blame yourself when your parents fight like that. I don't think Sirius would be an exception._

 _2\. Now, it's too early for Sirius to tell Remus about him being a time traveler, so what lie will Sirius weave to convince Remus, who was smart enough to become a professor at Hogwarts, that he simply found out his secret by chance?_

 _3\. How did you like sassy Sirius? I think I wrote him pretty well in that confrontation with Lucius._

 _Thank you all! See you next time._

 ** _Trivia:_**

 ** _What is Hermione Granger's middle name?_**


	5. Werewolves and Nightmares

_Hello, people! I've returned from beyond the grave! Sorry, just some Halloween creepiness there, but on with the story._

 _Trivia will be announced next chapter!_

 _WARNINGS: BAD NIGHTMARES! WILL BE ITALICIZED IF YOU WANT TO SKIP IT._

 ** _Disclaimer:_**

 ** _Do I gotta?_**

 ** _Yes, Sirius, you agreed._**

 ** _I did not! you kidnapped me and tied me to a chair!_**

 ** _Details, details. Just do it._**

 ** _Fine. Myra owns nothing. If she did, she wouldn't have to abduct me._**

 ** _Thank you._**

 ** _Will you let me go now?_**

 ** _Never!_**

* * *

"How did you know?" Remus demanded, his voice shaking ever so slightly.

Sirius shrugged. "I come from a pureblood family. Not only was I taught anything and everything because apparently I have to 'uphold the family reputation', and therfore knew the signs, but my family has a lot of connections. I know at least three werewolves, and that's right off the top of my head. It didn't take a genius to put it together."

That wasn't an entire lie. To this day, Sirius didn't know how he hadn't figured out Remus's secret sooner, but now that he was back, he was hell bent on making the transformations easier.

"Okay," Remus spoke slowly. "What about the potion? Where'd you find the time to make that and what is it, anyway?"

"It's Wolf's Bane potion. Like I said, I have friends that are werewolves and one night, we just started fiddling with Potions to see if any of it had any effect on them. Looking back on it, that probably wasn't the best idea. Anyway, we discovered that this potion works to helping you keep your human mind. I'm still working on a way that could stop the transformation completely but that's far from complete.

"And as to when I made it, I realized you were a werewolf last night at the feast and snuck out late at night to make it. That's why I was up so early, actually. I snuck out at about four AM and once I wake up, I can never go back to sleep."

Remus nodded, agonizingly slowly. "Okay, all of this makes sense, but why would you want to help me? After all, you did just meet me yesterday."

Sirius smiled. "We're friends. Maybe we've only know each other for a day, but I think we kind of clicked. Guess we'll just have to wait and see."

Remus nodded. "Yeah, guess we will."

* * *

Sirius should've known better than to hope that It wouldn't happen, but alas, It had been happening since James and Lily's deaths (first time around obviously). It was bound to happen eventually.

Sirius sighed and crawled into bed, utterly exhausted for an unknown reason, and promptly passed out.

Only for It to happen.

 _The house was in shambles, utterly destroyed and on the verge of appearing as a home after a bombing. Furniture had been splintered; chunks of wall lay scattered; Harry's sippy cup had been discarded upon the floor, apple juice leaking onto the carpet._

 _But worst of all was James._

 _Sirius had quite literally tripped over him as he hurried up the stairs, tumbling over and slamming his head against the wall. He was momentarily stunned, wondering what on earth he'd tripped over considering everything lay in small pieces now._

 _When he rolled over and saw the body of his best friend, he didn't scream or cry. He just sat there, transfixed, as he stared into the empty eyes of his best friend._

 _Suddenly, James blinked. At first, Sirius thought he'd imagined it, but then those hazel eyes closed and opened once more. Then, his best friend met his eyes._

 _"Your fault," James hissed. "Your fault."_

 _"N-No, James. It was Peter, I-I swear. I'm sorry!" Sirius begged, his voice sounding so, so broken that it scared him._

 _But James forged on. "You convinced us to change secret keepers. You wanted us dead!"_

 _"No, James, I didn't! I'm sorry."_

 _"You wanted us dead! You wanted Harry dead!" Lily's voice called from behind him and he turned to see her standing on the staircase, her green eyes empty but her voice dripping with malice. She was holding something in her arms._

 _"Here, take him, you bastard!" She threw the object at him and he just barely managed to catch it._

 _It was the mangled form of his godson. Harry's forehead was split and blood was pouring from a large cut. Dried tears marred his face and his empty green eyes gazed up at Sirius._

 _"Harry," he whimpered._

 _But this couldn't be right. James and Lily should be dead, dead, dead! And Harry should be marked as the Boy Who Lived. This wasn't right at all._

 _"Your fault," another voice spoke from behind him. Remus stood in the obliterated doorway, his eyes golden like the wolf's and his mouth twisted in a snarl._

 _"Your fault," Peter, drenched in blood and shaking from what was, without a doubt, the Cruciatious Curse, stepped into the room from the kitchen._

 _"No! You were their secret keeper!" Sirius cried._

 _"I didn't want to be. I was afraid, and I tried to tell you no, but you made me become secret keeper. You wanted James and Lily dead." Peter's voice was hollow, stinging with hurt and betrayal._

 _"Why, Padfoot? We trusted you," James growled. "And you got my family killed!"_

 _"I'm sorry, Jamie! I'm sorry!" Sirius screamed, sobbing openly now._

 _"Sorry isn't good enough!" James suddenly leapt to his feet and dove for sirius, who danced out of the way and sprinted towards the back door..._

 _... Only to find himself face to face with a thirteen year old Harry._

 _"You got my family killed! My parents! I had to live with the bloody Dursleys because of you!" The teenager cried, the famous Evans temper spiking up._

 _"I'm sorry, Harry! I-I-It wasn't my fault, Prongslet!"_

 _"It was all your fault! Don't try to pretend differently!"_

 _"Why didn't you save me?" Yet another new voice spoke up and out of the shadows, stepped Regulus._

 _He was wearing an old silver button up that practically hung off of him and dark jeans and dragon hide boots. Drenched and shivering, his lips and fingertips were a pale blue and every so often, he coughed up blood._

 _Sirius didn't know the meaning of this. His brother was killed by Death Eaters; drowning didn't seem like their style._

 _"I died, Sirius! You weren't there for me! Where were you?" Regulus sobbed, looking much younger than he was. "Why didn't you protect me?"_

 _"I'm sorry, Reggie. I-I'm so sorry," Sirius whispered._

"Sirius, wake up!"

* * *

He shot up with a gasp, nearly banging his head against Remus's, and found himself looking into the eyes of all of his roommates; a concerned James; a confused Peter; a worried Remus; a perplexed Frank Longbottom; and a puzzled but also incredibly irritated Ben Kingsley.

Ben gave him a once over before crawling back into bed and continuing to snore peacefully.

Frank shook his head in amazement. "That kid and his sleep."

"Sirius, what happened?" Remus demanded, seated beside him on the bed.

"Just a nightmare," Sirius breathed. "I've always been prone to them, ever since I was little. I haven't had one in a while though. Maybe being away from home triggered it or something."

"If you're sure..." Remus said, exchanged a look with James and Peter. They wouldn't press the issue for now, but if it happened again, Sirius would have a hell of an interrogation coming his way.

"I'm sure. Thanks."

The others went back to bed, but Sirius slipped out of his and dug around in his trunk until he found his scrapbook.

Him and Reggie (both significantly smaller, Sirius being six or seven) at the beach, celebrating their parents' twelfth anniversary.

Sirius shoving a cupcake in Reggie's face at the younger's ninth birthday party.

Bella (when she was nice to him), Cissy (an innocent six year old), Andy, Reggie, and him covered in mud as they held their brooms high. That had been their Quidditch match the day of Cissy's sixth birthday (her and Reggie's first, actually).

Sirius, brandishing his Hogwarts letter, his brother, and his parents standing together... right before their parents had started fighting.

Sirius frowned as he realized that he would never have a family like that again. When he was younger, blood and house discussions rarely happened among the family but Sirius's sorting had caused the topic to show up more and more. That's when his parents had started yelling at him.

But now was his chance to change that. He had to, not only for him, but for Bella, Cissy, Reggie, even his yet to be relatives like Dora and Cissy's son.

Sirius put the scrapbook away and crawled into bed.

He did not have any more nightmares that evening.

* * *

 _Well, I guess I'll see you next time._

 _IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: I just finished one of my other Outsiders fanfictions, and I have a rule that when I finish a story, I start a new one. I have five stories in mind and their summaries are on my profile. Two are Leo Valdez fanfictions; two are Regulus and Sirius Black fanfictions; and one is a Leo Valdez and Outsiders crossover. Just read through those and review the story you want most on any one of my stories. Thanks!_


	6. Letters and Suspicions

_I'm back! Sorry for the long wait, but I've been having some writers block. If anybody would give me some ideas, I would be very grateful._

 _WARNINGS : HINTS OF ALCOHOLISM ALTHOUGH IT DOESN'T SAY IT OUTRIGHT, SO..._

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nothing._**

* * *

"I don't want to!"

"Come on!"

"I'm scared!"

"They're your parents, Sirius!"

"You don't know my parents, Remus! I don't even know how to start it!"

"How about... Dear Mum and Dad?"

"I guess that's as good a place to start as any," Sirius muttered before touching his quill to parchment.

 _Dear Mum and Dad,_

 _In case Narcissa hasn't already informed you, I am a Gryffindor, but please, allow me to explain._

 _The sorting hat stated that I had traits from every house, but other traits, or lack thereof, ruled certain houses out._

 _I am clever and intelligent, but I do not have a thirst for knowledge as the Ravenclaws do._

 _I am kind and loyal, but not so kind in protecting the ones I love. I tend to curse the living daylights out of anyone to hurt my family and friends while Hufflepuffs work behind the scenes. That ruled Hufflepuff out._

 _I am ambitious and clever and cunning, but I wish for friendship, a great family, and to be different instead of just another face in the crowd. I wanted to be loved, not feared or hated. And that ruled Slytherin out._

 _Which left Gryffindor, where all of my talents and traits would be put to good use and I would find what I wished for._

 _I do not want this to tear our family apart more than it already is. I didn't have a choice, and I'm happy where I ended up because now I have great friends, four in Gryffindor and one in Slytherin and I intend to make more as the years go on._

 _All I want you to know is that I'm happy, and I don't want to disappoint you, but I'm afraid I may not be able to do that without disappointing myself._

 _I love you, through thick and thin, forever and always._

 _Love,_

 _SIRIUS_

He sighed and placed the letter in the envelope, handing it to Remus, before he could change his mind.

The werewolf took it and gave it to the owl, along with a treat. The owl took off, along with any chance of backing out.

"Come on, Sirius. It was better to write to them and try to explain than to ignore the issue until you can't anymore. Right?" Remus asked.

"I suppose, but... my parents are different than your's, Remus. Our family is different and it operates differently. It's hard for people to understand what it's like to be a Gryffindor or a Hufflepuff in this family. It hasn't happened in a long time," Sirius muttered. "I'm the first Non-Slytherin Black in generations."

"And that's a bad thing?"

"Not to me. I wouldn't care if I were a Snake or a Badger or whatever. But to my family? Very bad." Sirius nodded, solemnly. "I better write to Reggie."

Sirius picked the quill back up and began to write.

 _Dear Reggie,_

 _I'm a Gryffindor, but you've suspected that for years, so I guess it's no surprise. I've made new friends, four in Gryffindor and one in Slytherin._

 _How are things there? Are Mum and Dad fighting more or less? Are you okay? Have things turned violent?_

 _Don't be afraid to tell me the truth on that last question. I'll find out sooner or later anyway._

 _But on the bright side, Hogwarts is great! I've skimmed through my textbooks and everything sounds so interesting and I'm sure it'll be fun to learn, especially Transfiguration. Remember that time I transfigured Mum's nose into a pig snout when I was seven? Ha!_

 _I miss you, Reg. See you soon, okay?_

 _Love,_

 _SIRIUS_

He sent that letter with a separate owl and collapsed onto his bed.

"Well, no turning back now," he mumbled, just loud enough for Remus to hear him.

"Nope. Now, we gotta get to Transfiguration or McGonagall will have our heads. I heard she's one of the strictest teachers," Remus stated.

Sirius laughed. "Minnie? She just likes to act that way to freak you out."

"How do you know?"

"Erm... um, I'm a pureblood with a lot of connections. I know plenty of people that have attended Hogwarts," Sirius lied- well, not technically. He did know a lot of people, but that wasn't how he knew McGonagall's behavior.

"Alright, I guess. "

"Hey, guys?" James called as be stepped into the room. "Does anyone know the way?"

Sirius shrugged, grabbed his bag, and led the way through twisting corridors and crowded halls until they arrived at the Transfiguration classroom. The first ones.

"How did you-"

"My cousins told me the way around. I'm sure there's a shortcut somewhere, but I can't remember where they told me it was," Sirius explained.

Remus nodded, suspiciously, while Sirius made a mental note to stop being so obvious. He'd have to get lost next period or Remus would most certainly start an investigation and find him out. Without a doubt.

"Take a seat anywhere," McGonagall stated.

The boys lounged in the back row, playing around and being douffoses by throwing paper wads and telling corny jokes.

"You four having fun?" Lily giggled as she stepped in.

"As much fun as you can have in school," James stated, laughing.

"Hey, it is a magic school," Sirius chuckled. "Maybe it'll be a little fun. We can go exploring tonight."

"After curfew?" Lily asked, her eyebrows raised.

"Come on, Lily. We'll even let you come with us," James said.

"And besides, I'm sneaky," Sirius said, ominously. "I used to sneak into my Mom's liquor cabinet and steal almost everything and dump them into the lake next to our house. I've been doing it since I was four, and she still doesn't know it's me."

"Who did she think it was?" Peter asked.

"Well, half of the time, she thought Dad was drinking it, and the other half, she thought she just drank too much and forgot. Trust me, it's happened before," Sirius chuckled, fakely. Yeah, it happened almost every week.

"Well, if you can do that for seven years, I'm in," James spoke.

"Me, too," Remus spoke, quietly, his eyes holding suspicion as he gazed at Sirius.

"Me, three," Peter told them.

"I'm not going, but... I won't rat you out," Lily sighed. "Don't get yourselves killed."

The four boys highfived.

Tonight was going on be very fun.

* * *

 _Next chapter is their adventure and the chapter after is Sirius's letter from his parents, but I'm open to any ideas._

 _Also, Remus suspects that something isn't right with his new friend and that his home life isn't as good as he keeps saying. Just wanted to clear that up._

 _And finally, I'm taking a break from trivia just to get caught up on my suggested characters. I'll probably start again between chapters 10 and 15._

 _Thank you!_


	7. Desire That Drives Us Mad

_I am back, and don't worry, I'll be posting multiple chapters to make up for the lack of updates_

 _ **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**_

* * *

"So where to first?" James hissed.

"I say we should play some pranks, my friends," Sirius smirked.

"You know, in moments like this, I can tell you're from a Slytherin family."

"Shut up, James."

"It's true."

"Anyway," Remus interrupted, "what did you have in mind?"

"Come on," Sirius whispered, dragging them down the hallway.

"What are we doing at the... boiler room?" Peter asked, squinting in the dark at the sign on the door.

"Well, that's where they control the water, right?"

The others slowly nodded.

Sirius smirked as he reached into his pocket and withdraw a small vial of liquid that continuously changed colors- from green to pink to blue. He then dumped it into the pipes.

"It flows through the pipes, so when people take showers..."

"It'll turn their hair different colors," James finished. "That's brilliant! Why didn't I think of that?"

Sirius smiled. "Well, I'm Sirius Blsck, and you can only hope to be as great as me," he said in a mock pompous voice.

James responded by punching him lightly in the shoulder.

"Now, that one of our pranks is ready, let's explore," Peter laughed.

The others nodded, even Remus, who was a bit of a goody two shoes (no offense).

The four walked around the school, doing absolutely nothing but waking up the portraits, laughing, and wrecking havoc upon the school.

After they'd dressed a suit of armor up in woman's clothes (which Sirius had Transfigured), James quite literally ran into a door.

"Hey, who put that door there?" He muttered.

"The founders?" Sirius replied in a voice that said he was questioning his friend's sanity.

"Aw, shush it."

"Shush what? The armor? I can do that. Armor, shh, you're ticking James off," he chuckled.

"And you're worried about my sanity," James muttered.

Sirius replied by snickering some more.

"Ms. Norris, are you sure your nose isn't a little off? I see no pesky students," Filch's voice said from around the corner.

 _Filch!_ Sirius mouthed. _Inside!_

He shoved then into the room before bolting in himself and locking the door.

"Alright, I say we wait here for ten minutes. You never know with Filch, my cousin tells me," Sirius hissed. "And keep your voices down. That cat of his can pick up on the quietest whisper."

The others nodded.

"What's that?" Remus asked, gesturing to an object in the room.

The room was empty save for one object: a tall mirror with a dusty glass surface and a silver frame.

"It's a mirror," Peter deadpanned.

"Well, I can see that, but why did they put it in here?" Remus told him, walking over to it.

The werewolf knelt on the dusty floor, wiping away the grime from the bottom of the frame.

"The Mirror of Erised," Remus said. "What kind of word is that?"

Sirius contemplated that for a moment. "It's desire spelled backwards," Sirius realized.

"You're right. What does that mean?"

"Guys..." James muttered. "What do you see in the mirror?"

Remus stood and examined it, going from curious to shocked in a heartbeat . "I see... me. But I'm not scarred. I'm normal... maybe even handsome. What the heck?"

"I see myself with... Lily," James murmured. "We're both older, and I'm... kissing her. I'm holding a baby."

Peter looked into it as well. "I see myself as handsome, cool, with a bunch of friends."

"It shows what you desire most," Sirius told them, linking the name and the visions together.

"Sir, man, you gotta come check this out," James whispered (Sir is pronounced like Sere).

"I probably shouldn't," Sirius told him, even as his body tried to move.

"Come on, man, what can it hurt?" Peter asked, not taking his eyes off the mirror.

Sirius, against his better judgment, went to stand in front of the mirror.

And started to cry.

He was standing there with Reggie and his friends at his side, Harry in front of him with Sirius's hands on his shoulders. His parents stood behind him, looking so proud. They looked so united, like a collage of puzzle pieces that belonged together.

"Sirius, are you okay?" Remus asked, tearing his eyes away from the mirror to look at his friend.

Sirius rubbed his eyes, choking back the last of his tears. "Yeah. Filch is probably gone. We should go."

He grabbed James and Peter's hands, leading them from the room, knowing Remus would follow.

He dragged them back to the common room, hoping the shadows of the night would hide his tears.

"Sirius, what's wrong?" James asked as they finally arrived in the red and gold common room.

"Guys, can you promise me you'll never go back to that room?" He said.

"Sure, but why?" Peter asked.

"The Mirror of Erised... there's a legend about it that says that... people used to sit staring at that mirror until it drove them mad. I don't want that to happen to us, so please... just don't go back into that room. "

"What did you see?" Remus asked.

"I'll tell you in the morning. If I tell you now, I may just lose it completely," Sirius whispered before turning and climbing the stairs to their dorm room.

The three remaining friends exchanged glances and made a silent pact.

They would solve the mystery that was Sirius Black.

After all, if they didn't solve the mystery, how could they help their friend?

* * *

 _He was standing in the ruins of James and Lily's house with their bodies at his feet, and Harry in his arms._

 _"Shh, Harry," he whispered as Harry cried. "It's okay."_

 _"Your fault," a voice hissed from behind him._

 _"Moony, I-"_

 _"Your fault."_

 _"Peter, I didn't mean-"_

 _"Your fault."_

 _"Reggie, please, no. Please make it stop."_

 _"You're no son of mine, blood traitor."_

 _"Daddy... Mommy... please."_

* * *

Sirius woke with a start.

The dream was quick, no graphic deaths or anything like his previous dreams.

But Sirius still cried silently until the sun rose above the hills in the distance, and his friends began to wake.

Your fault.

His fault.

My fault, he thought. All my fault.

* * *

 _that was more depressing than I intended, but I thought it was a fairly good chapter. What did you guys think?_

 _Review, and good night!_


	8. Parents and Brothers

_WARNINGS: THERE IS SOME CHILD ABUSE AND VIOLENCE IN THIS CHAPTER, BUT IT IS NOT GRAPHIC AT ALL, LANGUAGE, mentions of girlxgirl_

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nothing except for my OC Bianca, who is mentioned in this chapter_**

* * *

When the screaming started, Regulus seriously considered jumping out the window.

You see, in his house, when somebody shouts, yells, or even argues, running is always the best idea because alcohol is either involved or gets involved. And the alcohol and/or drugs starts the violence.

It wasn't always violent, but when Cissy informed his mum and dad that Sirius was in Gryffindor, his mum got drunk; his dad stormed out and didn't come back until three AM; and Regulus walked away with a black eye.

Reggie wanted to blame his parents or his brother, but honestly, he couldn't blame either. His parents were stressed, and they both had drinking problems, along with other addictions. And Sirius was just trying to be himself.

You know you're too thoughtful when you can't blame anyone for anything because you know that everyone has a reason for it.

Peck! Peck!

Regulus looked up to see a snowy white owl pecking at the window with a letter in its talons.

Reggie threw open the window and yanked the letter from the owl, immediately apologizing in case he hurt her by accident. He quickly fed her a treat before he ripped open the envelope.

 _Dear Reggie,_

 _I'm in Gryffindor, but you've suspected that for years, so I guess it's no surprise. I've made new friends, three in Gryffindor and one in Slytherin._

 _How are things there? Are Mum and Dad fighting more or less? Are you okay? Have things turned violent?_

 _Don't be afraid to tell me the truth on that last question. I'll find out sooner or later anyway._

 _But on the bright side, Hogwarts is great! I've skimmed through my textbooks, and everything sounds so interesting, and I'm sure it'll be fun to learn, especially Transfiguration. Remember that time when I Transfigured Mum's nose into a pig snout when I was seven? Ha!_

 _I miss you, Reg. See you soon, okay?_

 _Love,_

 _SIRIUS_

Regulus smiled, slightly, despite all the screaming and crashing downstairs as the battle raged on in the living room.

It was nice to know that he wasn't forgotten. His eye may hurt; and his ears may ring from the noise; and his heart may break a little bit every time his parents fight. But as long as he had Sirius, his heart would always piece itself back together.

That was his worst fear. His heart just shattering like a snow globe, and no one was around to hear the crash. Therefore, no one knew that it was broken. And no one could- or more accurately, would- piece it back together.

"If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?" he whispered. "If a flower dies in a forest and no one is around to see it, was it ever really alive?"

He shook himself out of that train of thought before sitting down to write his own letter.

 **Dear Siri,**

 **It's great that you've made new friends! What are they like? I'm especially interested in the Slytherin; you don't seem the type to become friends with a Slytherin. What's changed?**

 **Anyway, things around here... are mostly the same. Mum and Dad are fighting as I write, and I think it's a particularly bad one. They just got your letter. Things have gotten slightly violent, but no curses have been thrown as far as just know. As for me, I'm alright; I have a black eye, and it's a little lonely, but I sneak out sometimes when Mum and Dad are too out of it to realize that I'm gone. I'm quite the little devil, aren't I?**

 **I have to tell you this, though. Bella and her fiancé, Rodolphus, came over one day. Rodolphus didn't really like me, and when I spilled something on his coat (it was an accident... not), he raised his hand to slap me. Next thing I knew he was hanging upside down from the chandelier! His coat was so tangled up, it took them an hour to get him down, even with magic!**

 **I hope you're having fun at Hogwarts! I miss you, too, and I'll see you soon.**

 **Love,**

 **REGGIE**

Regulus sealed up the letter and attached it to the owl's talons, watching as it away flew into the distance.

Even as his parents fought downstairs, Regulus smiled for the first time since Sirius left.

* * *

"I cannot believe you made that disgrace!" Walburga growled.

"He's your son, too, Walburga!" Orion snapped, dodging the plate she threw at him.

"Stop it, the other boy is upstairs!" He said, a little quieter.

"So? I hope he hears this fight, so he knows what happens when you disgrace us!"

"He's only nine; he shouldn't have to hear this!"

"When did we start talking about Reginald?"

"Regulus."

"Whatever! We're supposed to be talking about that idiotic, no good bastard child of your's!"

"Once again, Walburga, it takes two to make a baby!"

"I don't care! I always knew you were too soft on him, and now, a Gryffindor is going to be our heir unless we do something."

Orion was so shocked that he almost dropped his wand, which he'd drawn in case things got super violent as they sometimes did.

"Walburga, what do you mean by that?"

For a moment, Walburga looked puzzled by his statement, but then, her expression shifted to horror. "What? How can you think that?! I would never murder my own child or any member of my family, regardless of house or views on blood! If I murdered every blood traitor in my family, Alphard and Andromeda would be dead. How could you think that of me?!"

For the first time since she gave birth to Regulus, Walburga looked close to tears.

"Don't you remember Bianca?"

Orion was shocked. Walburga hadn't mentioned Bianca since her father blasted her off the family tree at a Christmas party two decades ago.

Unbeknownst to many, Walburga had three siblings, not two. One of them was her older sister Bianca, who was two years her senior. Bianca had been sorted into Gryffindor, stunning the entire family, and as the years wore on, Bianca started to change. She didn't come home for Christmas or Easter, and sometimes she'd even stay at a friend's house all summer. When Cygnus caught her kissing a girl (a Muggleborn, at that), it was the last straw.

In the Black family, not only are anyone that has a drop of Muggle blood in them not welcome, but neither are homosexuals (honestly, Orion always found that stupid, but when does his opinion ever matter, right?). So that was two reasons to blast Bianca off the family tree.

Bianca walked out, and they never saw her again. The family had begun to believe she was dead, but they tried not to think about her too often.

"That's what this is all about?" Orion whispered. "Bianca?"

"She was so volatile after her sorting: screaming at my parents, screeching like a banshee at Cygnus, and when she was fifteen, she even started screaming at me. That I was swallowing all these lies and being the arrogant prat I've always been and always will be.

"After her sorting, when she wasn't screaming at me, she didn't talk to me. She ignored me. Now, one of my children is in Gryffindor, and I fear history may repeat itself."

"Walburga, do you want to know why I stopped you from sending the Howler after Narcissa told you?"

"Why?" She grumbled.

"Because I wanted to wait to see if Sirius would tell us himself. And he did. Isn't this a good sign that he's not going to be like Bianca?"

She pondered that for a moment before storming out the door.

"I need a drink" was thrown over her shoulder, and then, she was gone.

He picked up the letter, rereading it over and over again, wondering when his son got so wise.

He turned to the stairs, placing the letter on the table.

Sirius was in Gryffindor with new friends, and it was setting his wife off. Sirius was going to need him when he got home because this family would not approve of him, but that was a problem for another day.

Right now, he had another son that needed him.

Orion Black walked up the stairs to speak with Regulus.

* * *

 _A few things that I want to clear up._

 _1\. I wanted to give Regulus traits from all of the houses since I'm not sure what house to put him in yet. Therefore, I gave him traits from every house to make it impossible to tell where he'll be sorted._

 _2\. I created Bianca to give Walburga's character more depth. I know she was reacting to the environment she was raised in, but i always wondered why she didn't just ignore Sirius or snapped at him once or twice like the rest of the family._

 _3\. I always thought that with everything going on with Sirius and Walburga that Regulus always kind of faded into the background, so that's why I had Orion kind of see that Regulus needs him too, regardless of everything going on with his other son._

 _What did you think? Review, and remember, I'm open to any suggestions or ideas!_


	9. Pranks

_Hello again!_

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nothing_**

* * *

"Ahh! Someone's turned the water pink!"

"And blue!"

"And green!"

"And orange!"

The Marauders chuckled before racing downstairs to see the Common Room in utter chaos. People were running around in their pajamas or their towels or some of them naked... yeah, erase that image from my mind. Their hair colors varied from the hottest pink to the most vibrant orange to the deepest blue.

"Sirius?"

"Yeah?"

"If you knew we put hair dye in the water supply, why did you take a shower?"

"Well, we had to make sure they didn't know it was us and besides, I like my orange hair."

"You're weird."

"You're just now figuring that out? I'm offended."

Remus laughed. "This only lasts for a day, right?"

"Yep, but it's pretty awesome," Sirius said. "I'm gonna go get my camera."

Lily walked over to them, stiffling giggles and trying to look stern.

"You four did this, didn't you?"

"Maybe," James said. "It was Sirius's idea."

"Dude, not cool!" Sirius yelled from upstairs.

"How did he-" Peter began before shrugged it off and turned back to Lily. "I see you've been spared of the hair treatment."

"Yes. I'm just lucky Helen decided to take the first shower this morning."

"Helen... the girl with the neon green hair?" Remus guessed.

"Yes."

"I think you'd look good with some green highlights. It'd really go well with the red hair," James advised.

The three of them turned to him, looking astonished.

Sirius laughed from upstairs. "James, you sounded like such a girl... He's not wrong, though," he called down to Lily.

"Who sounds like a girl now?" James chuckled.

Sirius walked downstairs, holding a camera. "In my defense, my cousins used to love to braid my hair and dress me up in girls clothes when I was three. So I kind of grew up with hair advice. "

For a moment, no one said a word.

Then, they promptly burst into laughter.

"Do you have a picture of that?" Remus choked out.

"I do," Sirius replied.

"Can we have it?" James asked.

"So you can forever hang it over my head. I don't think so."

"Who is responsible for this?!"

"And there's McGonagall," Peter stated.

"Nooo," James said, sarcasm dripping from his voice. "If she finds out, we're screwed."

"She won't find out," Sirius laughed, "if you don't tell her."

"Well, of course I won't-"

"Alright, anyone with dyed hair, come with me so we can fix it."

"I wonder if she'll let me keep my hair like this, " Sirius mumbled before shrugging and walking over to McGonagall.

"The rest of you, when I find out who did this, they will be in detention for a month!" She snapped.

Half an hour later, the Gryffindors were back to normal except for a few strands of faded hair dye. Turns out, the rest of the school was the same.

And that was only the first prank they found.

"Alright, who dressed the armor up in woman's clothing?"

"Very funny switching our clothes, but if you don't reveal yourself now, we will have to hunt you down and rip out your throat," a sixth year Slytherin girl said real calmly, looking so dumb in the first year clothes she was wearing. Still, everyone took a step back.

"Ahhh! Fly trap paper stuff!"

"How descriptive, Victor!"

"Shut up, Mary Anne!"

"Silly string in my eyes!"

"Ahh, I'm blind!"

"Um, you just have a sock on your face..."

"That's even worse! Get it off!"

All the while, the Marauders stiffled chuckles and walked away, sometimes getting into the less humiliating traps to prove to everyone that they were not the pranksters.

"You four, " Lily laughed.

"You're the pranksters, aren't you?" Severus asked, catching up to them.

Sirius placed a hand over his chest in mock surprise and pride. "See. Somebody gets me! I'm so proud that you know my style so well."

"Uh, no, I saw you and those three sneaking around last night."

"Aww, wait- what were you doing out of bed?"

Pink tinged Severus's cheeks. "Um, none of your business."

"Somebody's gotta girlfriend."

"What? I've only been at Hogwarts for two days!"

"Good point. Somebody's gotta secret," Sirius said with wide, mock suspicious eyes. "Don't worry, I won't pry, I have my secrets as well."

"Lily!" Helen called, waving her over.

"I have to go, but I'll see you guys later."

"I have to go, too," Snape told them. "Try to get this make up off."

It was true; Snape's face was covered in a whole mask of make up, clown style.

He rushed off, hiding his face as he went.

"Speaking of secrets," Remus said, "what did you see in the mirror last night?"

Sirius pursed his lips. "I saw an old friend, Henry. He, um, died a few years ago. Suicide."

It wasn't entirely untrue. Technically, Harry was dead in his eyes because he couldn't see him again. At least not his Harry. The suicide... well, Sirius didn't really know where that came from. But the others seemed to believe him.

"I'm sorry," Remus mumbled while the others nodded, looking at their feet.

"Don't worry, it was a long time ago," Sirius said with a sad smile. Yeah, less than a week, he added in his mind. "I just hope he's happy now."

But deep down, Sirius knew he wasn't. After all, he gained a godfather and lost him in one week.

But it was worth it if it meant Harry got a better life someday.

Even though it was almost ten years off, Sirius couldn't wait to see his godson again.

I'll see you again, Harry, he mentally promised.

It was all a matter of time.

* * *

 _Well, just so you know, I'll be jumping back and forth between the Black family and Sirius. Therefore, next chapter is Regulus's talk with his father, and the chapter after contains Sirius's reactions to his brother's and parents' letters. Until then!_

 _Review!_


	10. Opening His Eyes

_WARNINGS: THIS CHAPTER DOES TALK OF DRUGS AND ALCOHOL AND CHILD ABUSE; THERE IS ALSO A DRUNK CHARACTER_

 ** _Disclaimer:_**

 ** _"Why am I here?"_**

 **"Because I asked you."**

 **"You didn't ask me; you kidnapped me!"**

 **"Just do the disclaimer, Sirius, then, I'll let you go!**

 **"Fine, Myra109, does not own anything except for her insanity."**

 **"You call it insanity; I call it creativity."**

 **"Can I leave now?"**

 **"Never!"**

* * *

"Regulus?"

Regulus froze at his desk, his hand dropping the quill he'd been using.

"C-Come in," he cursed himself when he stammered. Please, don't hit me. Please, don't hit me. Please, don't hit me, he prayed.

The door opened, and his father stepped inside, shuffling his feet, but Regulus didn't dare turn around, lest he see Regulus's look of fear.

"Regulus, can we talk?" Orion said in a voice barely above a whisper.

"Sure," Regulus choked out.

"Could you face me?" Orion said, sitting on the bed.

Regulus took a deep breath, willing his face to become blank, before he faced his father.

Orion was horrified when he saw his son's black eye. Walburga had quite the temper, but she'd never, ever hit one of their children.

He reached up, hesitantly, and brushed a finger over the black and blue skin beneath Regulus's eye.

"When did this happen?" He whispered.

"Yesterday," Reg murmured.

Truthfully, he was a little shocked. His father was stern and drunk three quarters of the time, although his father had his moments when he was soft and tender, just like any other father. But typically, he had those moments with Sirius, not Regulus.

"Regulus," Orion said, "I promise that this will not happen again. She'll hit you over my dead body, understood?"

"Yes, Father," Regulus said, growing more astonished by the minute. "Father, may I ask a question?"

"Yes?"

"Why are you being so nice to me?"

Orion shrugged. "Well, we've been so... concerned about Sirius lately. He's in Gryffindor; he's away from home; he's always getting into trouble. But, you're also my son, and you need me, too. I'll deal with Sirius when he gets home; right now, you're living on a battlefield."

"Is Mother mad at Sirius?" Regulus murmured. "Is she mad at me?"

"You're mother isn't mad at anyone but herself. She's lived a hard life, and even though that's no excuse for any of this, you have to understand how her past makes her so angry, and even she doesn't understand why.

"But Reg, she will never hit you again," Orion said, sternly. "If she ever does, you come to me. And Reg? I'm going to try to stop drinking and leaving and the drugs and all of that. I don't want you or your brother turning out like that."

Regulus nodded, but he was in too much shock to say a word.

"Now, I'm going to write back to your brother. Your mother should be gone for a while, and when she's sober, I'll talk to her. No use having a conversation she won't remember in the morning."

Reg smiled, sadly, and nodded.

His dad left, and Regulus picked up on the story he was writing.

Maybe the story would have a happy ending, as would his.

Little did Regulus know, things were about to take a turn for the worse.

* * *

Meanwhile, Orion tapped his quill on the table, leaving a few ink splatters but not really caring.

How should he start this letter? What should he even write?

Dear Sirius.

That was as good a place to start as any.

Dear Sirius,

I'm proud of you for getting into Gryffindor, and making new friends. I hope you're enjoying Hogwarts.

Things around here have been pretty chaotic. Your mother is as volatile as ever, shouting and raging like some kind of dragon. She hit your brother the other day. I only found out a few moments ago when I saw his black eye.

Sirius, I'm putting my foot down. Your mother will never hit one of you again. She'll hurt either of you over my dead body.

I'm trying to stop drinking and leaving and doing drugs. I don't want you or Regulus to turn out like that.

I hope those friends of your's are a hell of a lot better influences than your mother and I.

Have fun, Sirius. We all miss you, including your mother, even if she won't admit it.

I love you. I don't say that to you enough.

DAD

Orion sighed, literally throwing down his quill. It was good to get all of that off his chest.

* * *

 **(Walburga is drunk, sor any spelling mistakes in the dialogue are intentional)**

Walburga came home at 7:53 that night, drunk as hell.

"Orion!" She called, stumbling into the living room, where her husband sat in the arm chair. "Deed ya know dat dat brat is in... is in Gryffindor? Can ya beliebe dat?"

"Walburga, you need to go to bed. I haven't seen you this drunk since you were pregnant with Regulus."

In hindsight, it probably wasn't a good idea to let her drink when she was pregnant, Orion thought.

"Who cares?" Walburga laughed, throwing her arms in the air like a five year old.

"Walburga?"

She suddenly stopped laughing. "Where aw da kids?"

"Sirius is at Hogwarts, and Regulus is upstairs, getting ready for bed."

"I hit 'm, Oron. I hit my son."

"I know, and it will not happen again," Orion told her.

"NO! I SIDN'T MEAN, TOO!" She screamed, hysterical. "He just looked so much like Sirius..."

"So you'd hit Sirius then?" Orion growled, angrily.

"NO! I-I was just so mad, and-"

"That's no excuse, Walburga. They're both your children, regardless of house."

"I know. I know."

She fell to her knees, crying.

"I used ta be nice... gendle... and pity," she said it so quietly Orion didn't hear her.

"Could you speak up a little, darling?"

"I used to be nice and gentle and pretty. What happen ta me?"

"I don't know, Walburga, but we can fix it."

"No, we can't! It's the Black Insanity, Oron. It's come for me," Walburga sobbed. "I'm sorry."

Orion wanted to deny it, but he knew it was true. He wife was going insane.

And he was powerless to stop it.

* * *

In the Department of Mysteries (the Time room, to be specific), there's a machine that resembles a clock, but it has years on it from 1971 to 2000.

If anyone had been looking at it the past week, they would've seen 1994 light up with an arc of light drawn to 1971.

They would've seen a map below the clock light up, and two lights glow: one at Grimmauld Place Number 12, one at Hogwarts.

The machine tracked time travelers.

It would only take one look...

But of course, no one ever looks at the machine.

But what happens when they do?

* * *

 _I made up that machine. I guess if they're from further in the future or from the past, that year would appear, but I'll leave that machine up to the imagination until it comes a bigger part of the plot **much** later on._

 _Also... TRIVIA IS BACK_

 ** _What are the names of Walburga Black's two brothers?_**


	11. In Which Sirius Faints 3 Times

_I have finally returned!_

 _Alright, this is too all of those that asked why the machine recognized two time travelers. Well, I'm afraid I cannot tell you that, but I will give you a little explanation. The machine picks up on current location, so the light at Hogwarts is Sirius. The one at Grimmauld was someone else, but in this chapter, they've traveled to Hogwarts. They'll be popping up in both places throughout the story. In fact, they actually make a brief appearance in this chapter._

 **Ragsweas- I can definitely do Marlene and the Prewetts. Marlene is in this chaoter, and the Prewetts will come in within the next few chapters.**

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nothing_**

* * *

Sirius got the letters at breakfast, like every other student got their post, but was surprised to see the lack of Howler.

One letter was a simple envelope, clean with his father's stamp (his father's, not the Black Family Crest) on it. The red paint with the imprint of an O and a B overlapping beside each other.

The other was just a white envelope with a piece of tape holding it closed. Siri had been scrawled in his little brother's childish handwriting that would one day become formal and loopy and Sirius wouldn't be able to read it. Or maybe it wouldn't. He still wasn't entirely sure how this all worked.

Sirius did not open the letters there like everyone else opened their mail right there at the table. No, after breakfast, he traveled to the dorm room to open the envelopes, Remus trailing behind him, almost as anxious as he. After all, he'd pressured Sirius into writing the letters.

Sirius slowly opened the first envelope, his little brother's, with shaking hands.

The letter was written neatly compared to his brother's usual chicken scratch that was slanted and all over the place because his brain often moved so fast that his hand had trouble keeping up. No, this letter was written neatly and carefully, like Regulus had chosen his words carefully. And that alone was enough to make Sirius worry about what awaited him at home.

 _Dear Siri,_

 _It's great that you've made new friends! What are they like? I'm especially interested in the Slytherin; you don't seem the type to become friends with a Slytherin. What's changed?_

 _Anyway, things around here... are mostly the same. Mum and Dad are fighting as I write, and I think that it's a particularly bad one. They just got your letter. Things have gotten slightly violent, but no curses have been thrown as far as I know. As for me, I'm alright; I have a black eye, and it's a little lonely, but sometimes I sneak out when Mum and dad are too out of it to realize that I'm gone.. I'm quite the little devil, aren't I?_

 _I have to tell you this, though. Bella and her fiancé, Rodolphus, came over one day. Rodolphus didn't really like me, and when I spilled something on his coat (it was an accident... not), he raised his hand to slap me. Next thing I knew, he was hanging upside down from the chandelier! His coat was so tangled up, it took them an hour to get him down, even with magic!_

 _I hope you're having fun at Hogwarts! I miss you, too, and I'll see you soon._

 _Love,_

 _REGGIE_

His mom hit his baby brother... Bella brought Rodolphus over... Rodolphus tried to slap Regulus... Regulus snuck out... violence... fighting...

Sirius gazed at the calender. Had he really only been gone a week?

His eyes zeroed in on a single droplet of blood, most likely from a nose bleed of some sort.

An image of his little brother with a black eye and blood dripping from his nose and over his lips appeared in front of his eyes.

Sirius promptly passed out.

* * *

"Geesh, what happened?"

"I don't know! He read the letter, got all pale, and then just passed out."

"Well, is he gonna be okay?"

"James, I'm not a doctor. If he doesn't wake up in ten minutes, we'll get Madam-"

"I'm awake, now," Sirius muttered, sitting up in his bed.

"Why'd you pass out in the first place?" James asked. "We know it has something to do with the letter, but none of us wanted to read it without your permission."

Sirius blinked. That was different. His James would've ripped the envelope from his hands, read it, and demanded to know what was going on. But then again, that James had been friends with him for four years.

"Um, well, yes, it does have something to do with the letter. My little brother, um, our cousin has taken to slapping him around, and trust me, that guy can leave some bruises. I guess the worry just crept up on me, and bam, I'm on the floor."

"Okay..." Remus said. Sirius could tell that he knew that there was more to it, but he was relieved when the werewolf didn't push him.

"Well, you have another letter if you want to read it," Peter told him, handing him the letter.

"It's from my dad," Sirius informed them. "Moment of truth."

He ripped open the envelope slowly, and he immediately recognized the loopy handwriting, but what was odd was that he didn't pick out any insults immediately. Usually, if his father was angry, some words were darker than others because he pressed his quill down so much, but this ink was all the same amount, the same shade.

 **Dear Sirius,**

 **I'm proud of you for getting into Gryffindor, and making new friends. I hope you're enjoying Hogwarts.**

 **Things around here have been pretty chaotic. Your mother is as volatile as ever, shouting and raging like some kind of dragon. She hit your brother the other day. I only found out a few moments ago when I saw his black eye.**

 **Sirius, I'm putting my foot down. Your mother will never hit one of you again. She'll hurt either of you over my dead body.**

 **I'm trying to stop drinking and leaving and doing drugs. I don't want you or Regulus to turn out like that.**

 **I hope those friends of your's are a hell of a lot better influences than your mother and I.**

 **Have fun, Sirius. We all miss you, including your mother, even if she won't admit it.**

 **I love you. I don't say that to you enough.**

 **DAD**

Sirius fainted again. At least this time he was on the bed.

"Did he just faint again?" Remus asked.

"It seems so," Peter answered.

"Alright, that's it. I'm reading the letter," James said.

"But James, isn't that illegal? And rude?" Remus said.

"Do you really think Sirius, of all people, is going to press charges for me reading his mail. And besides, if you don't tell, he'll never know."

Remus sighed, but acknowledged that he was fighting a losing battle and watched as James began to read the letter.

"Dear Sirius,

I'm proud of you for getting into Gryffindor, and making new friends. I hope you're enjoying Hogwarts.

Things around here have been pretty chaotic. Your mother is as volatile as ever, shouting and raging like some kind of dragon. She hit your brother the other day. I only found out a few moments ago when I saw his black eye."

The room went quiet.

"Wait, she hit his younger brother?" Remus asked, even though he'd heard James perfectly.

"And gave him a black eye," James added. "Shit."

And they all were shocked. Sirius was just so happy and go lucky. None of them could see him as an abused child; they shouldn't have too.

"Sirius, I'm putting my foot down. Your mother will never hit one of you again. She'll hurt either of you over my dead body."

"She shouldn't have hit him the first time," Peter mumbled.

"I'm trying to stop drinking and leaving and doing drugs. I don't want you or Regulus to turn out like that.

I hope those friends of your's are a hell of a lot better influences than your mother and I.

Have fun, Sirius. We all miss you, including your mother, even if she won't admit it.

I love you. I don't say that to you enough.

DAD."

"Well, at least his dad sounds decent," James said.

"Do we talk to him about it?" Remus asked.

"I say we wait for him to tell us, but if Sirius comes back from Christmas with a single bruise, I'm reporting it," James said. "We'll just have to wait to see if his dad really does turn things around."

Remus sighed as he gazed at his friend lying unconscious on his bed.

"Oh, Sir," he muttered. "Why didn't you just tell us?"

* * *

*later that day*

Sirius knew that his friends had read his letter. They weren't exactly known for being subtle; he caught every last suspicious and pitying look that was sent his way.

Still, he didn't tell them he knew because that could lead to a lot of questions he didn't want to answer.

But the real event of the day came around two when he ran into **her**.

She was just as he remembered. Tall, although still slightly shorter than himself, and slim with pale skin. Her hair was a sheet of pure gold with high lights of sunshine, and her eyes brown, like the chocolate covered strawberries she used to eat daily.

Marlene. Marlene McKinnon.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said after having bumped into him.

"Oh, um, it's fine."

He knelt down to help her pick up the books they'd both dropped. She smiled that pretty smile as she exchanged his for her's.

"I'm Marlene, Marlene McKinnon," she told him after they both stood up before shaking his hand.

I know, he thought. Oh, Marlene.

"Sirius, Sirius Black," he greeted, shaking her small, pale hand.

She even feels the same. All those days of holding hands with her and kissing her and just being in love, like any other teenager, came flooding into his brain.

"Well, it was nice to meet you," she told him with that same, old smile of her's. "I'll see you around, Sirius."

"Goodbye, Marlene," he muttered, even after she'd taken off down the hallway.

He found an abandoned classroom, and Sirius leaned against the door, sliding to the concrete.

 _Blood. So much blood. Marlene, her eyes wide open, frozen in shock and with the emptiness that could only come with death..._

Sirius pulled at his hair, feeling a few strands come loose into his hands.

No, no, no...

 _"I love you, Sirius."_

 _"I love you, too, 'Ene."_

 _"MARLENE!"_

 _"Sirius, she's gone."_

 _"She's gone."_

 _"She's gone."_

 _"She's gone."_

Sirius's world faded to black.

* * *

When Sirius came to, he found himself staring at the ceiling of the abandoned classroom.

Struggling to his feet, he checked his watch and saw that he'd been out for over an hour. His friends would be getting worried soon.

He left the classroom, not noticing a transparent figure- a ghost- follow him from the room.

* * *

 _the ghost is the time traveler... so who do you guys think it is?_

 _And also, I'm just going to tell you that Sirius may not end up with Marlene. You'll have to wait and see, but I'm just getting you thinking._

 _Bye bye, my friends._

 ** _Trivia:_**

 ** _When did the Marauders find out that Remus was a werewolf (what year were they in when they found out, not when they became animagi)?_**


	12. The Ghost

_Uh... long time, no see? *gets on knees and begs for forgiveness*_

 _On the bright side, school ends next week, so you'll be seeing a lot more of me after that!_

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nada._**

 _As for the ghost, you find out who they are in this chapter. **Mentathial** and **Paulaa90,** those were both good guesses, but incorrect (I did find your guesses very interesting, though). Bravo to **Teddi 8347** because you got it right!_

 ** _WARNINGS: CHILD ABUSE, LANGUAGE, MENTIONS OF DRUG USE AND ALCOHOLISM_**

* * *

Regulus got Sirius's letter two days later, and he opened it with a bright smile. The house had been so quiet; his mother had been sleeping off her hangover, and his dad was awfully silent this afternoon.

 _Dear Reggie,_

 _Nothing's really changed. I've just learned that not all Slytherins are bad; Severus Snape is pretty cool. We pulled some pranks the other day, and he didn't rat us out... so far, so good._

 _As for my friends, James Potter is hilarious and a great partner in crime when it comes to pranking. He has a crush on another one of our friends, Lily Evans, even though he denies it. As for Lily, she's sweet, smart, and tries to keep us out of trouble, but she doesn't tattle on us when we do. Remus Lupin is smart and helped me write the letter to Mum and Dad (what's going on with Dad? His letter confused me). Peter Pettigrew is loyal, quiet, and helpful. Finally, Severus Snape is clever, cunning, and nicer than the other Slytherins I've met so far._

 _Now, if Mum or Dad or Rodolphus or anyone dares to lay a finger on you, you tell me. I'll be there before they can scream for their mommy._

 _Get back to me soon, Reg. I miss you, little bro. 90 days until the Winter holidays; tomorrow will be 89 and then 88 and... well, you get the point._

 _See you then!_

 _-SIRIUS_

Regulus smiled before picking up his quill and placing it against the parchment.

CRASH!

"Regulus!"

Fuck.

Regulus turned slowly, just as the door burst open.

Then, his dad was shaking him, bruising his upper arms, and screaming in his face.

"You left your goddamn book lying in the middle of the floor. I tripped on it, and nearly broke my neck. What were you thinking, you little brat?"

Regulus was smart; he'd read about this before. Withdrawal sometimes caused extreme rage in some people, and irritation in others; his father already had a temper, and withdrawal was only making that worse.

"I-I'm sorry," Regulus stuttered. "I'll go pick it up."

"That's not the point!" His dad shoved him to the ground. "Ugh! I haven't had a hit or a beer or anything in nearly three days for you, and this is how you repay me."

I almost wish he was still doing drugs, Regulus thought before he immediately felt guilty. Still, he couldn't help it; he just wanted that angry expression on his dad's face to go away.

Orion kicked him.

"Daddy, STOP! Please..." Regulus whimpered.

His dad froze right before he brought his fist down on Regulus's face.

"Shit... Reggie," his dad reached for him, and Regulus recoiled.

"Reg, I'm sorry... Do you want to be alone for a while?" Orion muttered. Part of him was screaming for him to stay, but he didn't know what to do; the best thing he could do right now was leave him alone for a while. Right? He didn't know anymore.

Regulus nodded, slowly.

Orion nodded and left the room, stiffling an ashamed sob as he stumbled towards his bedroom to try and sleep off the shakes.

The youngest Black pulled himself onto his bed and tried to go to sleep himself.

Still, he found himself tossing and turning long after the sun fell and the moon rose; pain coursed through his ribs where he'd been kicked. There were bruises on his lower back, where he'd been shoved to the floor, and purple handprints stained his arms, between his shoulders and elbows. Combined with the black eye, Regulus looked like he'd gotten into a fight with a very angry animal with human hands.

Finally finding the strength to drag his body over to his desk, he turned on the light and picked up his quill.

 _Dear Sirius,_

 _Everything here is fine. Dad has stopped doing drugs and drinking- 3 days! Mum is sleeping off a hangover, but that's not out of the ordinary._

 _I'm glad that you've made some new friends! They all sound really nice._

 _Good luck at Hogwarts. See you in... 89 days now. Bye._

 _-REGULUS_

The boy sent the letter before crawling back into bed. He'd thought that writing to his brother would drag him out of the dark places, but it didn't. He was in too deep.

He was alone and scared.

Regulus whispered that to the room before slowly, drifting off to sleep.

* * *

The sun filtered through his window, and something cold was pressing against his ribs, where the pain had dulled tremendously. His arms no longer ached; his back no longer felt sore and tight from being pushed around.

Regulus opened his eyes to come face to face with... himself?

Okay, it wasn't really himself, but they looked mighty alike. With their silky black hair that they kept long; their small figure that was always skinnier and shorter than the rest their age; their silver eyes. The only other people that had those eyes were Sirius and their father.

There were distinct differences though. For starters, this boy was eighteen, maybe nineteen. Despite being older, he was even thinner than Regulus, and his eyes were haunted, broken beyond repair. But when he smiled, he almost looked happy. Almost.

"Hi," the boy said, simply.

Regulus opened his mouth to scream, but the boy clapped a hand over his mouth.

"Shh, no one can know I'm here. Technically, I'm not even supposed to be revealing myself to you, but I thought I could make an exception."

The boy removed his hand from Regulus's mouth and placed it against his ribs. Cold seeped into Regulus's skin, but when the boy removed his fingers from Regulus's skin, any lingering pain vanished.

"Thank you," Regulus whispered. "Who are you?"

The boy smiled. "I'm you. Older, but still you."

"But... how?"

"Well, we died when we were eighteen. Something happened, and I had to come to the past to help somebody. "

"Who?"

"Our brother. I can't tell you everything, but ask him about it when he comes home. He'll tell you."

The boy-Regulus- disappeared.

A knock sounded at the door before it slowly opened.

"Reg," his dad murmured, peaking around the door.

Regulus sprung into action; his knees were pulled up to his chest; his arms wrapped around them; and he tucked his head into the small cavity between his knees and chest. He'd experience less pain this way; his dad didn't have access to his ribs.

"Shh, none of that," Orion mumbled, slowly extracting Regulus's head from its protective space. "I'm not gonna hurt you."

"You always say that," Regulus whimpered.

Orion nodded. "I know. Look, Reg, I lost control. I'm sorry. You know how hard this has been on me, but I'm really trying and... that's no excuse, but... please. Forgive me."

Regulus met Orion's eyes. "I don't care if you hit me, Daddy. Just please don't start drinking again."

Orion's eyes widened. "Don't say that. I shouldn't hit you, Reg, and I'm not gonna start drinking again, I promise."

Regulus nodded, slowly. "Daddy... I'm sorry. "

"For what?"

"Leaving my book out."

Orion shook his head. "Regulus, me hitting you was not your fault. You had nothing to do with it. It's all on me."

Orion hugged Regulus close, and the father and son stayed like that for a really long time. Orion was disappointed when he found that Regulus didn't relax the entire time they embraced.

* * *

Regulus was accustomed to dreaming; going a night without dreaming was incredibly rare for him. But this dream... this dream was different.

He was standing in a small cell with corroded walls and floors and darkness pressing in on all sides. It was freezing, and Regulus just knew that dementours were nearby.

There was a man- tall, skinny, pale. He may have once been handsome, but any remnants of elegance and beauty had long since vanished. In his prison garb, he looked like a skeleton dressed in grimy rags. The man was curled against the wall, his knees pulled to his chest as he shivered.

When he looked up, Regulus gasped.

His eyes... his eyes were broken, shattered, haunted. But the worst part was that... Regulus knew those eyes. This man was much older, but there was no doubt about who he was.

Sirius.

"It wasn't my fault," Sirius whispered. "I didn't kill them. I didn't. I didn't. I'm innocent, I know I am."

"Siri," Regulus murmured.

Sirius's head shot over to stare at where Regulus was standing.

"Reggie," he mumbled. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Shh," Regulus said, soothingly. "There's nothing to be sorry for, big brother."

This felt strangely backwards. Sirius had been comforting Regulus all his life, but now, face to face with an older Sirius, Regulus was doing the comforting.

Sirius shook his head. "No, I left you alone. I abandoned you when I ran away. And I didn't help you when you needed me, and you..."

Sirius suddenly started laughing, hysterically.

"Siri?" Regulus muttered, fearing for his brother's sanity.

"You died. You're dead; you're not real. I'm losing my mind, that's it."

"No, no," Regulus disagreed, although silently, he feared that that was the case. "You're alright; you're going to be fine."

Sirius shook his head. "You want it to be fine... because then you get off the hook. For everything you've ever done. If everything is okay, if everything is fine... then, you did nothing wrong. But it isn't fine. And it never will be."

Regulus didn't know how to respond.

When had Sirius gotten so wise?

Sirius smiled, weakly. "I love you, little brother."

"I love you, too, Siri."

The dream faded, and Regulus was left staring at his ceiling, trying to rid himself of the memory of Sirius's haunted eyes.

It didn't work.

* * *

The next day, Regulus didn't leave the library; he read every book on ghosts and Paranormal experiences and time travel they had.

He wrote many notes and taped them to the walls of his room (in order to put the pieces together easier) until his bedroom looked like an elaborate art project and his notes, the ramblings of a madman.

He started having even more dreams, and these were even worse than the first: death, water, skeletons, a man with red eyes.

But perhaps the worst dream was one that starred Sirius, a teenager.

"I hate you," he spat. "I wish you'd just disappear!"

Regulus didn't sleep for a very long time after that one.

* * *

 _So, the Black family's a mess; a ghost version of Regulus is trying to help Sirius; Orion hit Regulus; Regulus is having bad dreams that sound like visions of his future. And what about Regulus's not sleeping? Sleep deprivation is very dangerous. What will come of all this?_

 _Tune in next time for some answers._

 _(I somewhat referenced 13 Reasons Why in here; I'd be interested to know if anyone caught it. Let me know in the reviews)._


	13. Brotherly Bonds

_Hello! To the winner of our last trivia, Arthur and Molly make a brief appearance in this chapter. They'll make more appearances later on._

 _Also, I've decided to alter my updating schedule. I'm doing these 'Chapter Marathons' by writing many chapters in a row for each story. The downside of this is that my updates will be much father apart, but when I do update, I'll post around ten chapters in a row, so... yeah._

 _AN: I HAVE ALTERED ARTHUR AND MOLLY'S AGES. I'VE MADE THEM 17 WHEN THEY SHOULD BE 20-21_

 ** _Disclaimer: I own zero._**

* * *

Sirius woke up sore as heck.

His ribs ached, like he'd been kicked repeatedly in them; his back felt tight and battered, almost as if a bruise was developing; when he moved his arms, they smarted awfully, and he cringed.

Sirius was alone in the dorm room. It was a Saturday, and he'd slept unusually late. Remus was always up early, but the length of his slumber surpassed even James and Peter's, who sometimes slept until noon.

The alarm clock read 12:47, and the sun was high in the sky.

Sirius crawled out of bed and stood in front of the full length mirror on the bathroom door. He stripped off his shirt, and in his shock, let it fall to the floor.

Purple handprints marred his upper arms- adult ones. Three or four bruises mixed in a disgusting collage of blue, black, and purple staining his ribcage. Turning around, Sirius found another dark bruise on his lower back, as if he'd taken a nasty fall.

Peering over his shoulder to check that no one had seen, Sirius threw on a shirt, making sure to cover the bruises.

But where had they come from? They hadn't been there yesterday; nothing had happened to cause those bruises.

Peck, peck!

Sirius turned and saw his owl at the window with a letter.

Opening the window, the owl- Athena- immediately flew inside and landed on Sirius's bed; she was hooting in an almost concerned manner.

"What is it, Athena?"

If only owls could talk...

Sirius took the letter and found it to be from Regulus; smiling, Sirius opened it.

 _Dear Sirius,_

 _Everything here is fine. Dad has stopped drinking and doing drugs- 3 days! Mum is sleeping off a hangover, but that's not out of the ordinary._

 _I'm glad you've made some new friends! They all sound really nice._

 _Good luck at Hogwarts. See you in... 89 days now. Bye._

 _-REGULUS_

Something wasn't right.

Call it a hunch, but Sirius just knew that something was up with Reggie.

First of all, the letter was incredibly short; usually Reggie's letters were long and full of stories and questions, but not today. Today, it was answering Sirius's questions, one comment, and then a goodbye.

Secondly, he'd called him Sirius, not Siri. Very unlike Regulus.

And there was the use of the word fine.

Regulus and Sirius rarely ever used the term fine because that was their parents' choice of words.

 _We're fine. They're fine. Everything's fine._ The word had gotten tiring after a while.

Now, Reggie and Sirius only used the word when they were lying. When they were pretending. And they never used it with each other because the other knew better.

Sirius glanced at Athena. He wondered...

Owls are incredibly smart. There's a reason they're the symbol for the goddess of wisdom, so maybe...

"Athena, did Dad hurt Regulus? Or did Mum?" He asked to animal.

She nodded.

"Mum?"

She shook her head.

"Dad?"

Athena nodded.

Sirius yanked up his sleeves to show the handprints on his arms.

"Did Dad do this to Reggie?"

"Hoot! Hoot!" Athena yelped, nodding furiously.

"Is Reggie okay?"

Athena just sat there. Clearly, that wasn't a yes or no question.

Sirius nodded before seating himself at his desk and picking up a quill.

 **Dear Reggie,**

 **I know Dad hit you. Don't ask how; I just know.**

 **Are you okay? How bad was it? He's stopped drinking and doing drugs, so why did he hurt you?**

 **Be honest with me, Reggie. No more _I'm fine, they're fine, everything's fine;_ those are Mum and Dad's lines, not ours.**

 **Write me back, Reg. And be honest this time.**

 **-SIRIUS**

Sirius mailed the letter and headed downstairs, where his friends were. Remus was reading a Muggle book. James and Peter were playing a game of Exploding Snap, and James was winning. Lily was also reading, but her nose was stuck between the covers of their Potions textbook.

"Hey, guys," he greeted, taking a seat beside Remus.

Remus smirked. "Decide to play Sleeping Beauty today? We were beginning to think you'd died."

Sirius laughed. "Nope. What are you reading?"

 _"Romeo and Juliet._ "

"Have you read it before?"

"Yeah."

"I love Mercutio; he's my favorite character."

"Wait," Lily said, looking up. "You've read _Romeo and Juliet."_

Sirius nodded. "William Shakespeare was a wizard, so my parents consider his writing to be 'Wizarding Literature'. They home schooled me, and I had to read all of his books. _Romeo and Juliet_ was the first."

"How old were you?" James asked. "I'm eleven, and I still don't understand that book."

"Well, I was probably around four. My brother and I had to read it, and he still had a pacifier."

Peter stared at him with wide eyes. "A baby read _Romeo and Juliet."_

"Yeah, but then again, my brother's a genius; our tutor was the only one that ever knew. Regulus understood the book right off the bat, but for me, my tutor had to be very persistent."

Remus nodded. "I can imagine. You're hyperactive as it is; I can't imagine a four year old you sitting in a classroom all day reading Shakespeare."

Sirius laughed. "We have some videos. You should've seen me when they made me dance the waltz. Regulus had just learned to walk, and I had to dance with him, so the height difference made that incredibly difficult."

The others laughed, but some of them had to force it. What kind of parents did Sirius have?

Someone suddenly laughed. "I remember when I had to dance the waltz. I was fifteen and had to dance with my brother."

The group turned. Sitting in an armchair next to Lily's was a red haired teenager- a seventh year by the looks of him. He was six feet tall and gangly; he wore old clothes (no doubt hand me downs) and horn rimmed glasses.

Sirius remembered him. Thinking back on the newspaper clipping he'd seen in Azkaban, he found it striking how much this man resembled his son (Peter? No, Percy; that's what it was). They could've been twins.

"You're Arthur Weasley," Sirius said. "I remember you from that Ministry party a few years ago."

He smiled. "Oh yeah. You were probably around seven; you and your brother danced better than anyone there."

Sirius laughed. "Well, we are kind of show offs."

"Hey, Arthur," a female voice said.

They turned to see Molly Prewett- thin, beautiful, and gentle- standing behind Arthur. Sirius was stunned; Molly hadn't been ugly in the future, but he'd forgotten that she'd been one of the prettiest girls in school.

Sirius suppressed a laugh when Arthur blushed a deep red, right down to his ears, just like his son, Ron, if he recalled.

"Oh, hey, Molly," Arthur sputtered.

It's like me with my first girlfriend, Sirius thought. And that's not a good thing.

"I was wondering if you'd want to go to Hogsmeade together next week," she said. "What do you think?"

For a moment, Arthur just opened and closed his mouth like a fish before he said, "Oh, um, sure."

Molly smiled. "Great. See you then."

As soon as she was out of earshot, Sirius burst into laughter, soon followed by the Marauders' chuckles and Lily's giggling.

"What?" Arthur demanded.

"You got it bad," Sirius gasped. "It's like watching my cousin with Malfoy. It's hilarious!"

"Your cousin likes Princess Malfoy?" James said, wrinkling his nose. "Gross."

"I know. When we were younger, Reg and I stole Mother's wand and turned Malfoy into a frog, so that when my cousin kissed him, he'd turn to human again. It worked; she kissed him, but they both had warts for weeks."

For a moment, everyone was quiet before they were rolling again.

"You and your brother sound like quite the pair," Arthur chuckled.

Sirius smiled- a bit sadly- and said, "Yeah, we really are."

And I'm gonna make sure it stays that way.

* * *

Sirius thought that after everything, nothing could possibly surprise him, but he was very, very, very wrong.

Sirius headed up the stairs to use the bathroom, but upon opening the door, he froze and nearly fainted.

Sitting on the bed was a ghost, but not just any ghost.

No, this was the ghost of eighteen year old Regulus Black.

Apparently, the ghost hadn't been expecting Sirius because he up and vanished right after Sirius opened the door. But he'd seen him, and there was no mistaking the ghost's identity.

But what had he been doing here?

Sirius used the bathroom and kept an eye on the bed as he stepped outside, but the ghost never reappeared.

* * *

Regulus (ghost Regulus) sighed and became visible after he'd heard Sirius's footsteps disappear down the stairs.

That was close.

Being a ghost, you'd think that being invisible would come easy, but no. Going invisible took a lot of effort, especially when you were a ghost and not a spirit. A spirit is someone who is dead and invisible to everyone; in this case, being visible is incredibly difficult. But if you're a ghost, you're dead but visible, like the Hogwarts ghosts; since you chose to be seen in death, being invisible is harder than you think.

Regulus sighed and leaned back on the bed. He'd done this while distracted, and he regretted it.

"Aw shit!" He yelped as he fell through the bed. Not off it; _through_ it.

Lying on the floor under Sirius's bed, Regulus's first thought was 'Sirius really needs to clean under here.'

His second was 'how am I gonna hide this from Sirius? He'd already seen me!'

Basically, he was screwed.

* * *

 _About Regulus being a genius... well, he discovered the horcruxes. That takes a lot of brains, so I just kind of assumed he must be a genius, or at least smarter than average._

 _I feel guilty; I forgot the trivia last chapter!_

 _But in regards to trivia, you don't have have a huge window to get your answers in. As long as I'm doing these 'Chapter Marathons', you get a day or two to get your answers in. Just a heads up on that._

 ** _Trivia:_**

 ** _Name 3 characters that died BEFORE the Order of the Phoenix_**


	14. The Green Eyed Stranger

_Hello, I've had a little bit of writers block, but I've recovered my writing abilities and I'm back and (hopefully) better than ever._

 _To the winner of our last trivia question: I can definitely do the Prewett brothers. If they don't appear next chapter, they'll appear between now and chapters 20_

 ** _A Few Notes:_**

 _I have altered Regulus and Sirius's ages a little bit, for the readers that noticed. Regulus should be a first year when Sirius is in 2nd, but I'm making Regulus a 1st year when Sirius is in **3rd.**_

 _One of the readers said that the story is a little boring; I'm not offended; in fact, I actually understand completely. Sirius won't really start changing things until the Whomping Willow Prank (you'll see why then), so until then, Sirius is mending what he can, but no huge changes will occur. However, things do get interesting this chapter._

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nothing_**

* * *

Regulus couldn't sleep. He stared at his ceiling until he felt his eyes would bleed, and still, he was not graced with slumber.

Finally, Regulus swung his legs out of bed and started to pace, going over all his notes and research but coming up empty handed.

He had several pieces of the puzzle, but he'd come to find that solving the mystery that was Sirius Black was like missing that one center puzzle piece. The connecting piece, if you will, that makes the picture complete.

Regulus collapsed back into his bed and stared into darkness.

Peck, peck!

An owl had arrived at the window, a black and white one that seemed to glare at Regulus.

Who would be sending him an owl at three in the morning? It couldn't be Sirius because Regulus had received his letter yesterday evening.

Opening the window, Regulus stepped aside as the owl flew in, dropped the envelope on his desk, pecked Regulus, and flew out.

"Ouch," Regulus muttered, rubbing his cheek where the animal had assaulted him. "What the hell?"

He opened the envelope and stared at the writing.

He didn't recognize it.

 **Meet me at the corner of Terry and Birchenwood today at four PM. If you fail to do so, I will come after your family.**

(I totally made this place up, by the way)

It was unsigned.

Regulus sat on his bed and stared at the letter until the sun rose.

He didn't understand. Who would want to meet him and why?

Regulus knew, logically, that this was a bad idea. After all, you don't go to meet the creep that's writing even creepier letters to you. Especially on the corner of two lonely, isolated streets.

But... his family.

Contrary to popular belief, Regulus wasn't one to think for himself; he'd always put others first. It's what made him so 'adorable and charming' to adults; of course, some of his cousins (ahem, Bella) thought of this as weakness. She continuously told him (and everyone else) that he'd grow out of his 'Hufflepuff phase' and become the Slytherin he was meant to be. Regulus wasn't so sure.

Regulus laid back on his bed and grabbed a photo off of the bed side table.

It was an old picture. He was only four, and Siri, almost six. His elder brother had an arm around his shoulders, and his dad had arms around both of them. Their mother was laughing as she knelt beside them, her hand combing through Sirius's hair, much to his dismay. Since it was a moving photo, Sirius would be smiling before glancing at his mother and playful irritation would flicker across his face before the smile appeared again.

That had been before the drugs and alcohol and abuse. Regulus missed those days.

But even if his family wasn't what it used to be, he still wouldn't trade them for the world.

He wouldn't let them get hurt. Even if it meant meeting an absolute stranger- who may or may not be dangerous- in an isolated area, where no one would be around to hear Regulus scream if things turned bad.

Regulus placed the picture back on his nightstand and got dressed.

His parents were still asleep, and they wouldn't be up for a few more hours.

Regulus crept along the hallway, standing on the tips of his toes and thankful that his bare feet barely made a sound on the hardwood floor.

His father's office was on the second floor, and it was practically the only room used on that floor. The bedrooms were on the third floor, and the only other rooms on the second were drawing rooms and some coat closets.

Regulus had never been so grateful for the isolated floor.

He opened the door as slowly and quietly as possible before creeping inside and shutting it behind him.

His dad always kept extra wands; he'd broken and lost so many, it was laughable. Therefore, he had an entire drawer full of them.

Regulus grabbed one and flicked it, but nothing happened.

Experienced wizards could use any wand, but beginners, such as him, needed their own wand to get the ultimate affect. Still, if the wand was close enough to their own wand, they could still use it, as long as they chose the spells carefully.

Regulus grabbed another one. Nothing.

Third times a charm, he thought, hopefully.

He grasped a third and red and yellow sparks flew from it. He didn't feel the tingle in his arm and body that he would if he had his own wand, but this wand was close enough; it would do.

"Accio book," Regulus whispered, pointing it at the bookshelf. An entire shelf full flew towards him.

"Aw, shit," he hissed. "Impedimenta!"

The books' speed slowed to a crawl.

"Wingardium Leviosa."

The books halted, suspended in midair, and Regulus guided them back to their shelf.

"Whoops," Regulus murmured before he pocketed the wand.

Checking one last time, he made sure everything was as it had been when he'd entered and returned to his room.

No one had ever known that he had been there.

* * *

Three thirty came. His dad was at work, and his mom, at the bar, so Regulus was home alone. That wasn't unusual, but this was the first time he was actually grateful for it.

Regulus stood on the corner of Terry and Birchenwood, leaning against the street sign and fingering the wand inside his pocket.

"You must be Regulus Black," a voice said.

The man was dressed in Muggle clothes: a heavy, brown coat and jeans with a hoodie. The hood was up, hiding his face. The only thing Regulus could tell was that he had green eyes.

"You must be the creepy stranger that wrote me the letter," Regulus fired back.

The stranger laughed. "Guilty as charged."

"So what do you want?" Regulus asked.

"I came here to warn you," he said. "It's about you and your brother."

"The one you threatened to come after?" Regulus glared.

The man may have smiled, but it was hard to tell with the hood. "I would've never come after your family, but I needed to get your attention."

"Well, you have it."

"Alright, you and your brother are in some real danger. Your brother used a very special time turner to come back in time and fix many things. It allowed him to transport himself into his younger body. People want Sirius because he holds the key to the future, and if that knowledge were to fall into the wrong hands, it could mean ending the world as we know it.

"But they're not just after Sirius. They're also after you."

"Why?" Regulus demanded.

"Regulus, when Sirius came back in time, he used a time turner that future you made. By using it, Sirius connected you two. Therefore, you have the knowledge of the future."

"What?" Regulus ordered.

"I know it's confusing, but the time turner created a bond between you two. Now, because of that bond, Sirius is able to share his memories of the future with you, whether he realizes he's doing it or not. It makes you something very similar to a Seer.

"Anyway, people are after you because you have the same knowledge. It just takes a little more to unlock it."

"So what do we do?" Regulus asked.

"Stay on your toes. Keep a wand with you at all times, and tell Sirius that he cannot tell anyone of his time traveling until the Whomping Willow Prank; he'll know what I mean."

"Why then?"

"Because that's when your bond will be the strongest; you'll be coming closer to the moment when Sirius really changes everything. At that point, if either of you were captured, the bond will save you."

Regulus was very confused at this point.

"Trust me, you'll know when the time comes."

The man turned and started to walk away.

"Wait!" Regulus called. "Who are you?"

The man smiled, tilting his head up slightly, so that Regulus could get a better look at his green eyes. His only identifying feature, as of now.

"All will be revealed in time, Regulus Black."

Then, he took an hourglass necklace from under his coat, spun it clockwise more times than Regulus could count, and with one last grin at the young child, he was gone.

Well... that was weird.

* * *

Regulus returned home and sat in their library for a long time, not knowing what to do or where to start.

There was only one way to tell if the man was lying. But how do you 'unlock' a vision? How had he triggered the one about Sirius last week?

He wasn't really sure, but he didn't think that anything had triggered it. It was almost like a cold; it happened, went away, happened again, and so on.

Regulus stared at the tarot cards in front of him; he wasn't _exactly_ a seer, and he'd never tried Divination before, but maybe it would trigger a vision.

Regulus chose four cards, trying to read the situation.

 **Lovers: love, union, bonds, alignment, relationships**

 **Judgment: judgement, rebirth, inner calling**

 **Justice: justice, fairness, karma, cause and effect**

Regulus, feeling a little freaked out by the accuracy of the reading, flipped over the last card.

He stopped breathing

Well... that was spooky.

"Agh!" Regulus suddenly groaned, clutching his head. A sudden migraine threatened to split his head into fourths; it was so bad, he started sobbing. Regulus had been hit by his parents; shoved to the ground and beaten up by his cousins; and fell off his broom and broke both his arms and leg, but this migraine hurt more than all of those occasions combined.

Regulus laid down on his side, curled into a ball, and clutched his head, praying it would be over soon.

 _He was ascending some stair steps, his wand raised in front of him, glowing with light to push the darkness away. He kept his eyes trained on the upstairs hallway, looking for any sign of the enemy or of his friend and godson. Therefore, he didn't see the body until he tripped over it._

 _He spun around, his wand lighting up the face of his best friend, James Potter. His eyes were wide open and empty; his wand had been thrown a few feet away._

 _He broke down; he fell to his knees and cried and screamed because why is the world so fucking cruel? He'd lost both of his brothers- one blood and one honorary- within two years because of this goddamn war._

 _Before he could wallow in self pity and sink into his grief any further, he heard the crying._

 _"Harry," he rasped, throat aching from sobbing._

 _He climbed the stairs at top speed, dreading what he'd find once he reached the upstairs._

 _The hallway was utterly destroyed. Pieces of furniture were scattered across the carpet, which had been torn nearly to shreds. There were tears in the wallpaper, and a dim light came from down the hall. From Harry's nursery._

 _He navigated his way around the destruction and slowly eased the door to the nursery open._

 _Lying on the floor was Lily Potter, face down with her beautiful red hair covered her face; her even more beautiful green eyes were wide open and dead._

 _"Lily," he whimpered._

 _"Pafoo," a small, young voice murmured._

 _In the crib was one year old Harry, a new scar cut deeply into his forehead in the shape of a lightning bolt._

 _Voldemort was nowhere to be found._

 _He lifted Harry into his trembling arms and sobbed into the small amount of hair on the baby's head._

 _"Shh, Harry, it's okay," he murmured. "It's all gonna be okay."_

 _"Sirius?"_

 _He turned to see a giant man standing in the doorway, ducking to avoid knocking his head on the frame. Tears streamed down his cheeks._

 _"Hagrid," he said._

 _"Sirius, I need to take Harry with me."_

 _"Where?"_

 _"Somewhere safe. Dumbledore sent me," Hagrid assured him._

 _"But I'm his godfather," Sirius told him. "Doesn't he belong with me?"_

 _"I know you'll get him back as soon as we're sure that all danger has passed for young Harry."_

 _He nodded. "A-Alright."_

 _He handed the baby over. "You can take my motorbike. It's right outside."_

 _Hagrid's eyes widened. "Really?"_

 _"Of course. Go on."_

 _Hagrid left, taking Harry with him, and as soon as the giant was gone, he stormed from the house and started heading towards his destination._

 _He had a traitor to kill._

Regulus jolted out of the vision, his migraine gone, but a new panic rising. He didn't want to get a glimpse into the future if that was what laid there.

The image of the last tarot card was still fresh in his mind.

 **Death: beginnings, endings, life cycle, transition**

* * *

 _If you think that this story is confusing with ghost Regulus and the mysterious stranger, just you wait; things are about to get a whole lot more confusing. I'm basically just putting ideas on a page, whether they make sense or not, so you're basically just taking a trip through my mind at this point (I wish you the best of luck)._

 _Who do you think the stranger is? It may not be who you think it is..._

 ** _ALSO, IMPORTANT: I AM GETTING READY TO POST A NEW STORY. I HAVE THE SUMMARIES ON MY BIO, AND I'M LETTING THE READERS DECIDE WHICH OF THE STORIES I WILL POST. YOU CAN VOTE ON THE POLL OR YOU CAN REVIEW YOUR CHOICE ON ANY ONE OF MY STORIES. THANKS!_**

 ** _Trivia:_**

 ** _What is Remus Lupin's middle name?_**


	15. It Can't Be Him

_Hello, everyone. Sorry for the delay. I knew what I wanted this chapter to be about, but I didn't know how to start, so it took me a little longer than I'd intended._

 _To our last trivia winnder, Andromeda will be in Regulus's chapter. There's a lot of gray area surrounding the Black sisters' years at Hogwarts, so I'm going to say she graduated the previous year._

 _Also, the Prewett brothers are younger than Molly in this story. It's not officially stated whether they were older or younger, so I'm going to make them a year younger than Molly_

 ** _Disclaimer:_**

 ** _Say it._**

 ** _No._**

 ** _Come on, Reggie!_**

 ** _Untie me, and I'll do it._**

 ** _I'm not falling for that._**

 ** _It was worth a shot._**

 ** _I am not above putting you back in the closet._**

 ** _Fine. Myra109 does not own me, my brother, the Marauders, Hogwarts, or anything remotely related to Harry Potter. Happy?_**

 ** _Very._**

* * *

Hands are pulling at his hair and arms and legs, dragging him deeper into the rushing dark waters. Gaunt faces appear in his vision, and they resemble skeletons with a thin sheet of skin pulled tight over their skulls.

He fights; he screams, but he quickly stops because water rushes into his mouth, suffocating him.

Please! He begs God.

No one comes.

Siri...

* * *

The world goes dark.

Sirius woke up, screaming and drenched in sweat.

James fell out of bed; Remus sat up so fast that his head banged against the headboard; Peter yelped and got tangled up in his sheets trying to free himself; Frank rolled out of bed, grabbed a random textbook, and mistakenly smacked Ben with it; Ben retaliated by grabbing a pillow and battling Frank.

Then, Remus got smart and turned the light on.

The five roommates stared at Sirius, who was gasping for air in his bed, as he tried to calm himself down.

Remus crossed the floor and sat next to Sirius, cradling him close, as he murmured, "Shh, it's okay. It's okay."

"Drowning," Sirius gasped. "I was drowning."

"No, you're not drowning. You're safe. We're at Hogwarts. We're safe."

Sirius nodded. "Safe. Right."

No water. No Inferi. No danger. He was okay.

But why did something still feel so wrong?

* * *

Sirius actually slept in that day (after he finally fell back asleep after his nightmare), so he skipped breakfast and had to run to Transfiguration.

He was in his seat with five seconds to spare.

"Geesh, mate," James smirked. "Cutting it close?"

Sirius nodded, tiredly.

James raised an eyebrow. "You okay?"

Sirius nodded. "The nightmare threw me a bit."

James pursed his lips. "It threw all of us. What was it even about?"

"The funny thing is that I don't even remember, but whatever it was, I'm glad I don't remember," Sirius lied. The truth was that he did remember it, but he wished he didn't.

"Oh. Well-"

Before James could continue, Professor McGonagall appeared at the front of the class in all of her intimidating glory.

"Alright, class. Your assignment for today will be to transfigure a matchstick into a needle. I will come around to hand them out; if you have any questions, please ask me or a person close by. Keep talking to a minimum, though, and stay on track please."

For some reason (unknown to Sirius, of course), she glowered at the four Marauders (Sirius had no idea why, obviously- note the sarcasm).

Anyway, Sirius was very excited. They'd had a few assignments, but the first few weeks were more lectures than activity, so beyond the occassional facile assignment, this was their first time actually transfiguring something.

The professor handed everyone a matchstick, and Sirius absent mindedly pointed his wand at it.

It automatically turned into a needle.

Whoops. He'd meant to try three or four times before accomplishing it, but Transfiguration had always come easy to him. I guess, even when he wasn't trying, it just... happened.

"You got it on the first try!?" James exclaimed. "I haven't even got it to turn silver yet," he complained, trying for the fifth time.

Professor McGonagall walked over and stared at Sirius's needle in interest.

"Very good, Mr. Black. Impressive."

"Thank you, Professor."

"Practice turning it back," she ordered, indicating the needle.

Sirius did so before changing it back to a needle. There was no use hiding the talent now; they'd know he was pretending.

He'd just have to make sure to do very badly in Charms. No struggle there. He'd picked it up over the years, but Sirius's main talent was blowing stuff up, so... That would be fun.

"You may work on other work," the professor said, and after a moment, she added, "I expect great things from you, Mr. Black."

She nodded before returning to her desk.

"You got a compliment from McGonagall?" A female Gryffindor he didn't remember sputtered. "My brother says that's impossible."

"Well," Sirius chuckled, "I am known for doing the impossible."

"Got that right," Remus muttered. "You've managed to reduce our dorm room to chaos in a matter of seconds."

"I think you mean milliseconds," Peter joked before they continued working.

Sirius smiled at his mates; it felt good to joke with them again.

He pulled out a book that was disguised to appear as his Charms book, but was really something else:

'The Wonders of Time Travel,' it was called.

After all, if he was going to figure out how to avoid ending the world as we know it by accident, he had to do his research.

* * *

Sirius loved pranking people; he practically lived for it. He loved the exhilaration he got when he did it, especially when he got away with it.

This time, he wasn't doing it with his mates. He loved pranking with them, but there are times when a man needs some alone time.

Of course, he wasn't alone for long.

"Whatcha doing?" A voice asked in a sing song tone.

"Looks like you're pulling a prank," Another voice said.

Sirius smiled and turned to face the Prewett brothers, only sixth years in this time. They hadn't changed much; they were still tall and lean with red hair they'd grown long (almost down to their shoulders). Their blue eyes had the same michevious glint he remembered the Weasley twins had in the future; he hadn't met them, personally, but he'd seen them sneaking around Hogwarts.

 _He was running, stunning people without even noticing who was on what side; he was pretty sure he knocked out a few Order members._

 _A safe house had been attacked, and the Order had been called to get rid of and capture as many Death Eaters as possible and to get the occupants of the House to safety._

 _Sirius tripped over something, falling flat on his face. When his vision cleared of spots, he glanced at what he tripped over, and he saw that it was Gideon Prewett._

 _It was hard to tell. Blood covered his entire face, and it dripped into his empty eyes; deep slashes and purple bruises covered his entire body. His brother Fabian wasn't too far away, not looking much better than his twin._

 _He later learned that the twins had been the first to arrive; they'd protected a small Muggle girl from the Death Eaters and were tortured before the rest of the Order arrived. Someone had cast a Slicing spell on the brothers, and the pair of them had bled to death._

 _They'd done together, just like they'd done everything else together._

"Oi, are you okay, mate?" A voice broke through Sirius's flashback, and he found Fabian Prewett staring at him with worry in his eyes.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry, zoned out for a second. Now, what were we talking about?"

Gideon laughed. "The fact that we want in on your prank."

"And why should I allow you in on my secret mission to prank at least a hundred of Hogwarts's students?" Sirius asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Because we will rat you out if you don't," Fabian smirked.

Sirius knew that Fabian wouldn't do that. It was an unspoken rule that a prankster would never rat out a fellow prankster.

But Sirius had his own reason to allow them to participate in his prank. Their empty eyes were still burned into his retina, and he wasn't about to waste his time with two brilliant heroes. If he did things right, he'd have more years with them, but just in case something went wrong down the line, Sirius could at least get rid of one regret:

He didn't waste his time with anyone. Every second mattered in this life; Sirius had learned that lesson the hard way.

"Alright," he said. "You're in. Help me set it up."

"I have a spell for that," Gideon told him. " _Multa cups!"_

The dozen red solo cups Sirius had set up (he got them from the House Elves; it's amazing what a please and thank you can do. They loved him now.) multiplied until the Transfiguration hallway was filled with them.

"My turn," Fabian laughed. "Aguamenti!"

Water sprayed from his wand into all of the cups, and Sirius and the Prewett twins had the time of their lives setting up the rest of the prank.

The walls were covered in honey; ropes suspended from the ceiling that rigged boxes full of feathers and other objects to fall on their victims.

"We make a pretty good team," Fabian told him as the trio split because they did not want to be seen standing there when that prank unfolded.

Sirius smiled. "We really do."

Even as Order members, they had been a good team.

Their blood covered bodies would forever haunt Sirius, even if he managed to change things.

The sight was gruesome, but what would really bother Sirius Black for the rest of his life was the thought that had run through his head when he saw their bodies:

That wasn't the end that they deserved.

Thinking of James and Lily and even Regulus (who he didn't even know what happened to), he decided something:

None of them should've died the way they did. None of them should've died young.

* * *

When Sirius saw the man, he nearly had a heart attack.

He'd been walking through the halls, returning from the Owlery after mailing his most recent letter to Reggie, when he saw him.

He was taller than first year Sirius, and he was definitely an adult. In his dark cloak, his main features were hidden, but in the candle light, he could see the green eyes of the man.

He'd know those green eyes anywhere...

The man smiled at him, and his words echoed through the corridor:

"Good luck, Padfoot."

He snatched a necklace from around his neck and turned the time turner more times than Sirius could keep track of, but he knew how many times it was. At least 24 times, maybe even more.

He vanished.

On his way back to the dorm room, Sirius somehow managed to convince himself that he was hallucinating. He wasn't getting enough sleep, and that flashback with Fabian and Gideon had thrown him off, completely.

Besides... what would an older Remus Lupin be doing in the past?

* * *

 _I told you it may not have been who you thought it was... for those of you that guessed Harry or Albus Severus, they are coming into the series at some point, which could be 2nd year or 3rd year, but nonetheless, somewhere down the line, they will pop up._

 _I know you're wondering how I'm going to do that. Well, you'll have to wait and see. All I know is that that is going to be an epic couple of chapters._

 _also, if you have won trivia in the past and have not seen your character pop up yet, please PM me about it. I may have forgotten about the character, so I may need a reminder. Thanks!_

 ** _Trivia:_**

 ** _What creature is Luna Lovegood always talking about (there's a few, but there's one she mentions more frequently than the others)? HINT: Hermione and several others don't believe them to be real._**


	16. The Textbook and The Killer Enemy

_I KNOW! I haven't updated in a while. I'm sorry. Please accept this chapter as a gift from me to you._

 _ALSO! There is a poll on my page about Halloween stories and which one I should post. The summaries are in my bio, and you vote for the idea you like the most. Please check that out if you want me take your opinion into account. It's up until October 30th, 2017 (tomorrow), but it'll be closed very late tomorrow (around 11:30 PM or so) Get your votes in while you can._

 ** _Disclaimer: Have I ever said I owned Harry Potter? No. Am I rich? No. Am I popular or we'll known? No. All answers point to... I do not own Harry Potter._**

 ** _WARNINGS: UH... NOTHING REALLY. THERE IS A POSSIBLE ONE, BUT I CAN'T SAY IT WITHOUT GIVING THE ENDING AWAY. IT'S NOT THAT BAD ANYWAY_**

* * *

Regulus Black's day was fairly normal until the murderer showed up.

"Regulus, I'm going to work. Your mother's here if you need her!" Regulus's father called as he headed for the fireplace.

Seconds after his father left the house, Walburga shouted, "Regulus, I'm going out. Do whatever you want, go wherever, just don't get arrested and don't break anything."

And then, Walburga left the house, and Regulus was alone.

Regulus sighed. He should've expected that.

"Master Regulus?" Kreacher asked, popping into the room. "Would Master like some breakfast?"

Regulus smiled. "No thanks, Kreacher. I'm going to go read by the lake."

"But Master, you shouldn't go alone-"

Regulus laughed. "Kreacher, I'll be careful. If it makes you feel any better, I'll take one of father's old wands."

Kreacher nodded. "Yes, Young Master Regulus. Call if you need anything."

Kreacher vanished with a pop!

Regulus grabbed his book off of the table and left the house, heading for his quiet place.

His quiet place was a space under a shady tree beside a crystal blue lake with emerald green grass and serenity surrounding the entire area. If Regulus didn't know what true magic was, he'd go as far to call this place magical.

Regulus sat beneath the tree and stared at the book on his lap.

 **THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT TIME TRAVELING**

This book was no ordinary book. It was a forbidden book. The Ministry had banned it years ago (why, no one knew, but Regulus bet his savings that the book revealed too much information-too much _truth_ \- for the Ministry's liking). Since Regulus's father's cousin had written the book, their family still owned a few copies of the said book.

Regulus opened the book and stared at the page, skimming the words.

 **Time traveling is a delicate process and an even more delicate topic. It is obviously possible through the use of a time turner, but many questions still exist about time traveling. Can a person time travel without a time turner? Can a person time travel to his or her body in the past or even the future? While we're on the topic of the past and the future, can a person travel farther back into the past whether than a few hours? More importantly, can a person time travel to the future?**

 **Like I said, many questions still exist, and this is only the tip of the ice berg.**

 **Little is known about time travel. The only people that possibly know anything about it work in the Department of Mysteries, and even the Minister doesn't know what they know about time travel. No one does since they are not allowed to speak of their findings, hence the term Unspeakable.**

 **In this book, I have gathered as much information as possible to answer as many question as I can. As you embark on a journey to find the truth about time travel, just as I did many years ago, I wish you luck. Finding the truth about time travel is a tricky business, but if us-the seekers of truth-band together, we may be able to get to the bottom of this mystery.**

Regulus flipped through some pages until he found what he was looking for.

 _ **QUESTION 2: Can a person time travel to his or her body in the past or the future?**_

 **According to my research, it is possible, although rare since this property is not avaliable in just any time turner. It would require spells, Potions, ancient artifacts and much more that the magic folk of present day do not currently have access to.**

 **In the journal of Mark Shrane, a volunteer in the Time Travel experiment of 1871, he wrote about his travels to the past and the future. He even wrote that he woke up in his twenty year old body, despite being forty at the time of the experiment. These is no exact proof, but if the shreds of evidence are gathered, a picture can be created, although fuzzy.**

 **After time traveling twenty years into the past and waking up in his twenty year old body, Shrane returned to the present, but it didn't take long before he began to display side effects.**

 **First, Shrane started to have mood swings. At first, no one was concerned, but then, the mood swings became so extreme, Shrane had to be medicated just to keep them in check.**

 **Next, Shrane's immune system began to weaken, and he became sick quite often. People thought that the rapid deterioration of Shrane's health was due to a number of things, such as excess weight, genes, age... Even magical exhaustion was a possibility at the time.**

 **However, doctors searched and searched for a reason for Shrane's health, but they never found one. They countered the obvious ones (age, weight, genes, and so on) before focusing on magical possibilities and defects. All of the above were ruled out.**

 **Thirdly, Shrane started having magical outbursts. These led to seizures and his magic harming himself, others, and any objects or places around him. Soon enough, Shrane became a victim to Wizarding Epilepsy, a severe seizure disorder that affects 1 in a million wizards and if left unchecked, can cause magical burn outs. Magical burn outs lead to loss of magical ability; possibilities of viruses, bacterial infections, and even deadly diseases, such as cancer; disability; and even death.**

 **Shrane died at the age of 45, his Wizarding Epilepsy leading to a severe and sudden Magical burn out that killed him within an hour of occurring.**

 **One of the conductors of the experiment, Issac Lewis, remembers Shrane's deterioration quite clearly.**

 **"I may be 119 years old," Lewis says, "but I will never forget Mark Shrane, nor will I forget the aftermath of the experiment.**

 **"I believe Shrane was telling the truth when he said that he woke up in his past body. I also believe that Shrane's health didn't do well with the abrupt change between the body of a forty year old and the body of a twenty year old. That could cause Shrane's mind and body to be confused by the change. We don't exactly know how it works, but something had to happen to Shrane's forty years old body when he time traveled and became a twenty year old. Whatever it was, it wasn't good, and it left side effects. If you factor in the excessive amounts of magic that is required to time travel, especially without a time turner, that much magic could've left its mark on Shrane. After all, too much of a good thing can be a bad thing.**

 **"Anyway, I think Shrane could've been saved, and the doctor that did his autopsy agrees with me. If Shrane's deterioration had been caught in the early stages, he could've been saved. Wizarding Epilepsy takes at least a year of constant physical and magical strain to develop, and it takes even longer to progress. By the time anyone figured out that Shrane's health deterioration may be due to the time travel, it was too late to do anything. There are ways that we could've undone the magical and physical strain of time travel through doctors, medical exams, magical exams, and much more, but we didn't catch it in time."**

 **When asked if time travel to a past/future body was possible, Lewis replied with this:**

 **"I personally believe it is. I can't prove it yet, but I believe it is. It's dangerous and possibly deadly, but I believe that it is possib-**

Regulus didn't get the chance to finish reading the sentence.

Hands grabbed him from behind and shoved him forward. Regulus's book tumbled to the grass, and Regulus rolled into the lake.

Regulus swam for the surface, thinking this was just a mean kid from the neighborhood and about to give the person a piece of his mind, but he didn't even break the surface.

Strong hands pressed down on Regulus's shoulders, keeping him stuck beneath the water.

Regulus began to panic, shoving at the person's hands and reaching for his wand, but panic was seizing his entire being, and he couldn't even remember any spells.

Regulus mentally cursed.

 _"Call if you need anything."_

Kreacher!

Regulus opened his mouth, allowing water inside, before speaking:

"Kreacher."

Regulus was beginning to think Kreacher hadn't heard him when the hands vanished, and Regulus burst out of the water.

The person was gone, and Kreacher gazed at Regulus in concern.

"Thank you," Regulus gasped.

Kreacher wrapped his thin arm around Regulus's waist and helped him stand.

"Let's get you home, Master Regulus."

* * *

Sirius Black sat bolt up right in bed, soaked in sweat, a scream ripped from his throat.

"Sirius, what's wrong?" James demanded, leaning over him.

"Regulus! Regulus is drowning!"

* * *

 _Oh, my gosh. Who tried to drown Regulus? What's going on with the textbook section (remember that, it will be important later)? What about Remus?_

 _You'll have to wait to find out. I'm sorry, but that's the way this goes._

 ** _Trivia:_**

 ** _How old was Albus Dumbledore at the time of his death?_**


	17. The Episode

_Hello. I know it's been a while since the last update. Sorry about that, but I honestly think this chapter was worth it (but that's just me, so review to tell me what you think)._

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nothing._**

* * *

Sirius's eyes flew open, a scream torn from his throat, as his chest moved up and down, rapidly. Each breath that ghosted over his lips came out in a loud pant as he began to hyperventilate. Sweat poured down his face and body, and his heart was thundering inside his chest. He was shivering and sweating at the same time, and his trembling reached such a high intensity that at first glance, he looked like he was having a seizure.

"Sirius," James repeated. "Sirius, are you all right?"

Sirius couldn't have replied if you wanted to. His heavy, quick breathing abruptly stopped as he tried to breathe in, but nothing entered his lungs.

"Sirius!" Remus cried. "Sirius, answer us!"

Sirius couldn't. He started gasping and struggling for air. Each breath became harder to draw in; he felt like he was drowning.

Drowning. Regulus was drowning!

He remembered his dream vividly now. He remembered the terror that struck him as a strange man dressed in all black with his hood hiding his face grabbed his brother's shoulders and pushed him under the water. He remembered the coolness of the water as it splashed him, kicked up by Regulus's failing arms and futile attempts to fight off the much stronger man.

 _"Reg!" He cried, his voice almost echoing, sounding like there were multiple Siriuses speaking at once. His voice seemed to roll across the land, reaching the very edges of the scenery, but his brother, nor his attacker, seemed to hear him._

 _"REG!" Sirius called louder._

 _Then, suddenly, Sirius felt something squish inside his shoes and looked down to see water flooding the grass at his feet. And it was rising._

 _Sirius screamed as he looked up, and he found himself trapped inside a claustrophobic box, and although it appeared to be made of glass, it didn't shatter when Sirius punched it. In fact, hitting the walls of the box caused extreme pain in Sirius's face, but not even a crack in the structure. The box was taller than Sirius when he stood straight up, but it was barely wide enough for two grown man to stand chest to chest._

 _The water was still there, pooling around his feet, and it rose so quickly, Sirius didn't even have a chance to put together a plan, some kind of solution. Within seconds, the water filled the entire tank, rising above Sirius's head and hitting the ceiling of the box._

 _Sirius was trapped in a box filled with water._

 _His lungs burned. His head felt like it was exploding. He needed to breathe. He couldn't hold his breath anymore._

 _He was going to drown._

 _Sirius suddenly froze as Regulus appeared in the box with him, and he backed up as much as he could, his back hitting the wall._

 _Regulus's eyes were wide open, the life having faded from them long ago. His blue lips were parted, and water rushed into his lungs. He was dead._

 _Sirius couldn't stop himself from opening his mouth and screaming. Sirius's shriek shattered the walls, and the water rushed out of the box. And then it all vanished. Regulus, the box, the water, everything. It was all gone._

That's when he woke up.

"He can't breathe!" He heard Remus shout as he gasped for air that wasn't there.

Suddenly, arms were lifting him off of his bed, and he could see the world rushing past him, but he couldn't comprehend what was happening. All he could focus on was trying to breathe.

"Madam Pomphry!" He heard Peter yelling, but he couldn't remember who Madam Pomphry was or where they were. He barely remembered who Peter was.

He was being laid down on a bed, and all Sirius saw was white. He saw bright blobs of color, but the white seemed to overwhelm any other color that wanted to enter his vision.

"Mr. Black, can you hear me?" A voice shouted, and Sirius could hear her, but he couldn't understand her, and he couldn't respond. It was like she was speaking in a foreign language, and Sirius's vocal cords had been frozen or something.

Sirius was shaking even harder now. He was full out convulsing at this point, and no one knew how to stop it, not even the nurse. He was drenched in sweat, and that only increased Sirius's fear as it made him feel like he was drowning even more so.

Regulus, he tried to say, but nothing came out except for a loud wheeze.

A light was being shined into his eyes, and it blinded Sirius, making him flinch and toss his head back and forth. His fingers curled around the sheets and blankets of the bed, his fists clinging to the bedding for dear life. He stretched his throat as much as he could, wheezing and coughing and crying. The only sound he was able to make was a whimper.

Regulus was in danger. He had to get to him.

Sirius tried to sit up, but he only succeeded in raising his head and shoulders before flopping back onto the mattress.

"Reg!" He managed to choke out, the first word he'd spoken since his trouble breathing began. Still, his friends and the nurse didn't appear to understand his gasp. The word was so quiet, it could've passed for another wheeze.

His chest ached, like a fist was squeezing his lungs, and they burned. His entire body was singing with white hot agony.

He wanted it to atop. He wanted Regulus safe. He wanted to sleep. But he didn't know how to achieve any of those things.

He wanted it to be over! That single thought bounced off of his skull like a ping ball as his convulsions hit their peak.

And then, all of a sudden, it just stopped. Sirius's body went slack, his shaking stopping in the blink of an eye. He inhaled, and oxygen filled his lungs; his heart rate slowed down; he didn't feel pain anymore. But he did feel really, really tired.

He heard James calling his name, telling him to stay awake, but Sirius couldn't obey.

The heavy exhaustion weighing him down dragged into a deep, deep sleep.

* * *

Sirius came around, slowly.

"What... pened?"

"Don't... oh."

".. scary..."

"Madam Pom... didn't have... seizure."

"She doesn't... what... happened."

Sirius managed to groan, softly, and silence fell as he managed to pry his eyes open.

He found Lily, Severus, James, Peter, and Remus all staring down at him.

"What happened?" Sirius mumbled, eyes focused on the white ceiling above him.

"You had an... _episode_ ," James said, choosing his words, carefully.

"Episode," Sirius repeated, and James nodded.

"Yeah. Madam Pomphry doesn't know what it was, but it _looked_ like a cross between a panic attack, an asthma attack, and a seizure. You kept mumbling about feeling like you were drowning."

Huh. Sirius didn't think he'd spoken during it, but... wait. Drowning.

"Regulus!" he suddenly yelled, sitting straight up in the bed.

His friends rushed to push him back into a lyiny down position.

"No, you don't understand. He's in trouble!" Sirius shouted.

"No, he's not," James assured him. "We mailed your dad while you were out. Regulus is fine. We talked to Professor Dumbledore, and he said Regulus and you dad could come here later today, and you could see for yourself."

Sirius nodded, yawning as exhaustion began to creep upon him again. It'd temporarily been chased away by the adrenaline, but now it was back and much more severe than before.

"Go to sleep now," Lily whispered. "The more you sleep, the sooner Regulus will be here."

Sirius nodded, weakly, and drifted off.

* * *

When Sirius awakened again, he found his little brother sitting at his bedside.

"Reg!" He exclaimed, and he sat up as Regulus embraced him.

For a moment, they just hugged.

And then, Regulus coughed.

"Sirius," he choked out. "Can't breathe."

Sirius laughed and loosened his grip.

"Reg, I had the worst dream. You were drowning and dying, and the worst part was that someone was actually trying to kill you. It wasn't an accident or... it was attempted murder, and it... it scared me. I'm glad you're safe."

"Um, Sirius, about that..." Regulus began, nervously. "I have something to tell you."

Sirius pulled away to look Regulus in the eye, which was kind of pointless since Regulus avoided making eye contact with him as he focused on the sheets, like there was something so interesting about them.

"Your dream was real..." Regulus whispered, his voice horribly quiet in the Hospital Wing, empty save for the two of them.

Sirius's heart stopped dead in his chest.

* * *

 _Thanks for reading! Sorry for keeping you waiting._

 _No trivia this chapter, sorry. Bye, everyone!_


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